,  POETICAL  WORKS 


EDWIN  AENOLD 

/I 


CONTAWnjO 

THE    LIGUTjOfL^SIA 

THE    INDIAN    SONG    OF    SONGS 

PEARLS    OF    THE   FAITH 


NEW  YORK 
JOHN    B.     ALDEX,     PUBLISHER 

1883 


2  3<;^P-' 


[fS  VOLUI 


la    DtmruLLT    ins 


THE   SOVEREIGN,  GRAND   MASTER,  AND  COMPANIONS 


(Sl)c  flloBt  (Ptaltcb  (f»rbcr  of  tl)c  Star  of  iJnbiii 


THE    AUTHOR. 


PREFACE, 


In  the  following  Poem  I  have  sought,  by  the  medium 
of  an  imaginary  Buddhist  votary,  to  depict  the  life  and 
character  and  indicate  the  philosophy  of  that  noble  hero 
and  reformer.  Prince  Gautama  of  India,  the  founder  of 
Buddhism. 

A  generation  ago  little  or  nothing  was  known  in  Europe 
of  this  great  faith  of  Asia,  which  had  nevertheless  existed 
during  twenty-four  centuries,  and  at  this  day  surpasses,  in 
the  number  of  its  followers  and  the  area  of  its  prevalence, 
any  other  form  of  creed.  Four  hundred  and  seventy  mil- 
lions of  our  race  live  and  die  in  the  tenets  of  Gautama  ; 
and  the  spiritual  dominions  of  this  ancient  teacher  extend, 
at  the  present  time,  from  Nepaul  and  Ceylon  over  the 
whole  Eastern  Peninsula  to  China,  Japan,  Thibet,  Central 
Asia,  Siberia,  and  even  Swedish  Lapland.  India  itself 
might  fairly  be  included  in  this  magnificent  empire  of  be- 
lief, for  though  the  profession  of  Buddhism  has  for  the 
most  part  passed  away  from  the  land  of  its  birth,  the 
mark  of  Gautama's  sublime  teaching  is  stamped  inefface- 
ably  upon  modern  Brahmanism,  and  the  most  characteris- 
tic habits  and  convictions  of  the  Hindus  are  clearly  due 
to  the  benign  influence  of  Buddha's  precepts.  More  than 
a  third  of  mankind,  therefore,  owe  their  moral  and  rclig- 


ious  ideas  to  this  illustrious  prince,  whose  personality, 
though  imperfectly  revealed  in  the  existing  sources  of  in- 
formation, cannot  but  appear  the  highest,  gentlest,  holiest, 
and  most  beneficent,  with  one  exception,  in  the  history  of 
Thought.  Discordant  in  frequent  particulars,  and  sorely 
overlaid  by  corruptions,  inventions,  and  misconceptions, 
the  Buddhistical  books  yet  agree  in  the  one  point  of  re- 
cording nothing — no  single  act  or  word — which  mars  the 
perfect  purity  and  tenderness  of  this  Indian  teacher,  who 
united  the  truest  princely  qualities  with  the  intellect  of  a 
sage  and  the  passionate  devotion  of  a  martyr.  Even  M. 
Barth^lemy  St.  Hilaire,  totally  misjudging,  as  he  does, 
many  points  of  Buddhism,  is  well  cited  by  Professor  Max 
Miiller  as  saying  of  Prince  Siddartha,  "  Sa  vie  n'a  point  de 
iache.  Son  constant  herolsme  egale  sa  conviction  ;  et  si 
la  theorie  qu'il  preconise  est  fausse,  les  exemples  person- 
nels qu'il  donne  sont  irreprochables.  II  est  le  modele 
acheve  de  toutes  les  vertus  qu'il  preche  ;  son  abnegation, 
sa  charite,  son  inalterable  douceur  ne  se  d^mentent  point 
un  seul  instant.  ...  II  prepare  silencieusement  sa  doc- 
trine par  six  annees  de  retraite  et  de  meditation  ;  il  la  pro- 
page  par  la  seule  puissance  de  la  parole  et  de  la  persua- 
sion pendant  plus  d'un  demi-sidcle,  et  quand  il  meurt 
entre  les  bras  de  ses  disciples,  c'est  avec  la  s^renite  d'un 
sage  qui  a  pratique  le  bien  toute  sa  vie,  et  qui  est  assure 
d'avoir  trouve  le  vrai."  To  Gautama  has  consequently 
been  given  this  stupendous  conquest  of  humanity  ;  and — 
though  he  discountenanced  ritual,  and  declared  himself, 
even  when  on  the  threshold  of  Nirvana,  to  be  only  what 
all  other  men  might  become — the  love  and  gratitude  of 
Asia,  disobeying  his  mandate,  have   given   him  fer\'ent 


worship.  Forests  of  flowers  are  daily  laid  upon  his  stain- 
less shrines,  and  countless  millions  of  lips  daily  repeat  the 
formula,  "  I  take  refuge  in  Buddha  !  " 

The  Buddha  of  this  poem — if,  as  need  not  be  doubted, 
he  really  existed — was  born  on  the  borders  of  Nepaul, 
about  620  B.C.,  and  died  about  543  u.c.  at  Kusinagara  in 
Oudh.  In  point  of  age,  therefore,  most  other  creeds  are 
youthful  compared  with  this  venerable  religion,  which  has 
in  it  the  eternity  of  a  universal  hope,  the  immortality  of  a 
boundless  love,  an  indestructible  element  of  faith  in  final 
good,  and  the  proudest  assertion  ever  made  of  human 
freedom.  The  extravagances  which  disfigure  the  record 
and  practice  of  Buddhism  are  to  be  referred  to  that  in- 
evitable degradation  which  jiriesthoods  always  inflict  upon 
great  ideas  committed  to  their  charge.  The  power  and 
sublimity  of  Gautama's  original  doctrines  should  be  es- 
timated by  their  influence,  not  by  their  interpreters  ;  nor 
by  that  innocent  but  lazy  and  ceremonious  church  which 
has  arisen  on  the  foundations  of  the  Buddhistic  Brother- 
hood or  "Sangha." 

I  have  put  my  poem  into  a  Buddhist's  mouth,  because, 
to  appreciate  the  spirit  of  Asiatic  thoughts,  they  should 
be  regarded  from  the  Oriental  point  of  view  ;  and  neither 
the  miracles  which  consecrate  this  record,  nor  the  plii- 
losophy  which  it  embodies,  could  have  been  otherwise  so 
naturally  reproduced.  The  doctrine  of  Tr.insmigration. 
for  instance — startling  to  modern  minds — was  established 
and  thoroughly  accepted  by  the  Hindus  of  Buddha's  time  ; 
that  period  when  Jerusalem  was  being  taken  by  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, when  Nineveh  was  falling  to  the  Mcdes,  and 
Marseilles  was  founded   bv  the  Phocxans.     The  expt. 


tion  here  offered  of  so  antique  a  system  is  of  necessity 
incomplete,  and — in  obedience  to  the  laws  of  poetic  art — 
passes  rapidly  by  many  matters  philosophically  most  im- 
portant, as  well  as  over  the  long  ministry  of  Gautama. 
But  my  purpose  has  been  obtained  if  any  just  conception 
be  here  conveyed  of  the  lofty  character  of  this  noble 
prince,  and  of  the  general  purport  of  his  doctrines.  As  to 
these  there  has  arisen  prodigious  controversy  among  the 
erudite,  who  will  be  aware  that  I  have  taken  the  imper- 
fect Buddhistic  citations  much  as  they  stand  in  Spence 
Hardy's  work,  and  have  also  modified  more  than  one 
passage  in  the  received  narratives.  The  views,  however, 
here  indicated  of  "  Nirvana,"  "  Dharma,"  "  Karma,"  and 
the  other  chief  features  of  Buddhism,  are  at  least  the 
fruits  of  considerable  study,  and  also  of  a  firm  conviction 
that  a  third  of  mankind  would  never  have  been  brought  to 
believe  in  blank  abstractions,  or  in  Nothingness  as  the 
issue  and  crown  of  Being. 

Finally,  in  reverence  to  the  illustrious  Promulgator  of 
this  "  Light  of  Asia,"  and  in  homage  to  the  many  eminent 
scholars  who  have  devoted  noble  labors  to  his  memory, 
for  which  both  repose  and  ability  are  wanting  to  me,  I 
beg  that  the  shortcomings  of  my  too  hurried  study  may 
be  forgiven.  It  has  been  composed  in  the  brief  intervals 
of  days  without  leisure,  but  is  inspired  by  an  abiding 
desire  to  aid  in  the  better  mutual  knowledge  of  East  and 
West.  The  time  may  come,  I  hope,  when  this  book  and 
my  "Indian  Song  of  Songs"  will  preserve  the  memory 
of  one  who  loved  India  and  the  Indian  peoples. 

EDWIN  ARNOLD,  C.S.L 

London,  Jidy,  1879. 


THE  LIGHT  OF  ASIA. 


Book  tlic  first. 


The  Scripture  of  the  Saviour  of  the  World, 
Lord  Buddha^ — Prime  Sidddriha'  styled  on  earth- 
In  Earth  and  Heavens  and  If  ells  Incomparable, 
All-honored,  Wisest,  Best,  most  Pitiful ; 
The  Teacher  of  Nirvdna  and  the  Law. 

Thus  came  he  to  be  born  again  for  men. 

Below  the  highest  sphere  four  Regents  sit' 
Who  rule  our  world,  and  under  them  are  zones 
Nearer,  but  high,  where  saintliest  spirits  dead 
Wait  thrice  ten  thousand  years,*  then  live  again  ; 
And  on  Lord  Buddha,  waiting  in  that  sky, 
Came  for  oar  sakes  the  five  sure  signs  of  birth' 
So  that  the  Devas'  knew  the  signs,  and  said 
"  Buddha  will  go  again  to  help  the  World." 
"  Vca !  "  spake  He,  "  now  I  go  to  help  the  World 
9 


10..  .the:  LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

This  yi^t  n£  many  tirij'es  ;  'for  birth  and  death 
End  hence  for  me  and  those  who  learn  my  Law. 
I  will  go  down  among  the  Sakyas,' 
Under  the  southward  snows  of  Himalay, 
Where  pious  people  live  and  a  just  King." 

That  night  the  wife  of  King  Suddhodana,' 
Maya  the  Queen,'  asleep  beside  her  Lord, 
Dreamed  a  strange    dream ;    dreamed    that  a  star  fro:.i 

heaven — 
Splendid,  six-rayed,  in  color  rosy-pearl, 
Whereof  the  token  was  an  Elephant'" 
Six-tusked  and  whiter  than  Vahuka's"  milk — 
Shot  through  the  void  and,  shining  into  her, 
Entered  her  womb  upon  the  right.     Awaked, 
Bliss  beyond  mortal  mother's  filled  her  breast, 
And  over  half  the  earth  a  lovely  light 
Forewent  the  morn.     The  strong  hills  shook  ;  the  waves 
Sank  lulled  ;  all  flowers  that  blow  by  day  came  forth 
As  'twere  high  noon  ;  down  to  the  farthest  hells 
Passed  the  Queen's  joy,  as  when  warm  sunshine  thrills 
Wood-glooms  to  gold,  and  into  all  the  deeps 
A  tender  whisper  pierced."'  "  Oh  ye,"  it  said, 
"  The  dead  that  are  to  live,  the  live  who  die. 
Uprise,  and  hear,  and  hope  !     Buddha  is  come !  " 
Whereat  in  Limbos  numberless  much  peace 
Spread,  and  the  world's  heart  throbbed,  and  a  wind  blew 
With  unknown  freshness  over  lands  and  seas. 
And  when  the  morning  dawned,  and  this  was  told, 
The  gray  dream-readers"  said  "  The  dream  is  good  ! 
TJie  Crab  is  in  conjunction  with  the  Sun  ;" 


BOOK    THE    FIRST. 
i 

The  Queen  shall  bear  a  boy,  a  holy  child 
Of  wondrous  wisdom,  profiting  all  flesh, 
Who  shall  deliver  men  from  ignorance. 
Or  rule  the  world,  if  he  will  deign  to  rule." 

In  this  wise  was  the  holy  lUiddha  born. 

Queen  Maya  stood  at  noon,  her  days  fulfilled, 
Under  a  Falsa"  in  the  Palace-grounds, 
A  stately  trunk,  straight  as  a  temple-shaft. 
With  crown  of  glossy  leaves  and  fragrant  blooms  : 
And,  knowing  the  time  come — for  all  things  knew — 
The  conscious  tree  bent  down  its  boughs  to  make 
A  bower  about  Queen  Maya's  majesty. 
And  Earth  put  forth  a  thousand  sudden  flowers 
I'o  spread  a  couch,  while,  ready  for  the  bath, 
I'he  rock  hard  by  gave  out  a  limpid  stream 
Of  crystal  flow.     So  brought  she  forth  her  child 
Panglcss — he  having  on  his  perfect  form 
The  marks,  thirty  and  two,  of  blessed  birth  ; 
Of  which  the  great  news  to  the  Palace  came, 
liut  when  they  brought  the  painted  palanquin" 
I'o  fetch  him  home,  the  bearers  of  the  poles 
Were  the  four  Regents  of  the  Earth,  come  down 
From  Mount  Sumcru" — they  who  write  men's  deeds 
On  brazen  plates — the  Angel  of  the  East, 
Whose  hosts  are  clad  in  silver  robes,  and  bear 
Targets  of  pearl  :  the  ."Vngel  of  the  South, 
Whose  horsemen,  the  Kumbhandas,"  ride  blue  steeds. 
With  sapphire  shields :  the  .\ngel  of  the  West, 
By  Nagas  followed,  riding  steeds  blood-red, 


12  THE   LIGHT   OF   ASIA. 

With  coral  shields  :  the  Angel  of  the  North, 
Environed  by  his  Yakshas,"  all  in  gold, 
On  yellow  horses,  bearing  shields  of  gold. 
These,  with  their  pomp  invisible,  came  down 
And  took  the  poles,  in  caste  and  outward  garb 
Like  bearers,  yet  most  mighty  gods  ;  and  gods 
Walked  free  with  men  that  day,  though  men  knew  not . 
For  Heaven  was  filled  with  gladness  for  Earth's  sake," 
Knowing  Lord  Buddha  thus  was  come  again. 

But  King  Suddhodana  wist  not  of  this  ; 

The  portents  troubled,  till  his  dream-readers 

Augured  a  Prince  of  earthly  dominance, 

A  Chakravartin,"  such  as  rise  to  rule 

Once  in  each  thousand  years  ;  seven  gifts  he  has — 

The  Chakra-ratna,"  disc  divine  ;  the  gem  ; 

The  horse,  the  Aswa-ratna,'"  that  proud  steed 

Which  tramps  the  clouds  ;  a  snow-white  elephant. 

The  Hasti-ratna,"  born  to  bear  his  King  ; 

The  crafty  Minister,  the  General 

Unconquered,  and  the  wife  of  peerless  grace, 

.The  Istri-ratna,*  lovelier  than  the  Dawn. 

1  For  which  gifts  looking  with  this  wondrous  boy, 
The  King  gave  order  that  his  town  should  keep 
High  festival ;  therefore  the  ways  were  swept,*' 
Rose-odors  sprinkled  in  the  street,  the  trees 
Were  hung  with  lamps  and  flags,"  while  merry  crowds 
Gaped  on  the  sword-players'*  and  posturers, 
The  jugglers,"  charmers,  swingers,  rope-walkers, 
The  nautch-girls  in  their  spangled  skirts  and  bells" 


BOOK    THE    FIRST. 

That  chime  light  laughter  round  their  restless  feet  ; 
The  masquers  wrapped  in  skins  of  bear  and  deer. 
The  tiger-tamers,  wrestlers,  <iuail-fighters, 
Beaters  of  drum  and  twanglers  of  the  wire, 
Who  made  the  people  happy  by  command. 
.Moreover  from  afar  came  merchant-men, 
Bringing,  on  tidings  of  this  birth,  rich  gifts 
In  golden  trays  ;"  goat-shawls,"  and  nard"  and  jade, 
Turkises,"  "  evening  sky  "  tint,  woven  webs — 
So  fine  twelve  folds  hide  not  a  modest  face — 
Waist-cloths  sewn  thick  with  pearls,  and  sandal-wood  ; 
Homage  from  tribute  cities  ;  so  they  called 
Their  Prince  Savarthasiddh,  "  All- Prospering," 
Briefer,  Siddarthx 

'Mongst  the  strangers  came 
A  gray-haired  saint,  Asita,"  one  whose  ears. 
Long  closed  to  earthly  things,  caught  heavenly  sounds 
.\nd  heard  at  prayer  beneath  his  peepui-tree 
The  Devas  singing  songs  at  Buddiia's  birth. 
Wondrous  in  lore  he  was  by  age  and  fasts  ; 
Him,  drawing  nigh,  seeming  so  reverend, 
The  King  saluted,  and  Queen  Maya  made 
To  lay  her  babe  before  such  holy  feet  ; 
But  when  he  saw  the  Prince  tht-  old  man  cried 
"  Ah,  Queen,  not  so  !  "  and  thereupon  he  touched 
Eight  times  the  dust,"  laid  his  waste  visage  there, 
Saying,  "  O  Babe  !  I  worship  !  Thou  art  He  ! 
I  see  the  rosy  light,"  the  foot-sole  marks," 
The  soft-curled  tendril  of  the  Swastika," 
The  sacred  primal  signs  thirty  and  two, 
The  eighty  lesser  tokens."     Thou  art  Buddh. 


14  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

And  thou  wilt  preach  the  Law  and  save  all  flesh 
Who  learn  the  Law,  though  I  shall  never  hear, 
Dying  too  soon,  who  lately  longed  to  die  ; 
Howbeit  I  have  seen  Thee.     Know,  O  King  ! 
This  is  that  Blossom  on  our  human  tree 
Which  opens  once  in  many  myriad  years*' — 
But  opened,  fills  the  world  with  Wisdom's  scent 
And  Love's  dropped  honey  ;  from  thy  royal  root 
A  Heavenly  Lotus    springs  :  Ah,  happy  House  ! 
Yet  not  all-happy,  for  a  sword  must  pierce 
Thy  bowels  for  this  boy  "' — whilst  thou,  sweet  Queen 
Dear  to  all  gods  and  men  for  this  great  birth. 
Henceforth  art  grown  too  sacred  for  more  woe. 
And  life  is  woe,  therefore  in  seven  days 
Painless  thou  shalt  attain  the  close  of  pain."  " 

Which  fell :  for  on  the  seventh  evening 
Queen  Maya  smiling  slept,  and  waked  no  more, 
Passing  content  to  Trayastrinshas-Heaven,'" 
Where  countless  Devas  worship  her  and  wait 
Attendant  on  that  radiant  Motherhead. 
But  for  the  Babe  they  found  a  foster-nurse, 
Princess  Mahaprajipati  " — her  breast 
Nourished  with  noble  milk  the  lips  of  Him 
Whose  lips  comfort  the  Worlds. 

When  th'  eighth  year  passed" 
The  careful  King  bethought  to  teach  his  son 
All  that  a  Prince  should  learn,  for  still  he  shunned 
The  too  vast  presage  of  those  miracles, 
The  glories  and  the  sufferings  of  a  Buddh. 
So,  in  full  council  of  his  Ministers, 


BOOK    THE    HkST. 

"  Who  is  the  \visest  man,  great  sirs,"  he  asked, 

"  I'o  teach  my  Prince  that  which  a  Prince  should  know  i 

Whereto  gave  answer  each  with  instant  voice 

"  K.ing  !  Viswamitra"  is  tiie  wisest  one, 

The  farthest-seen  in  Scriptures,  and  the  best 

In  learning,  and  the  manual  arts,  and  all." 

Thus  Viswamitra  came  and  heard  commands  ; 

And,  on  a  day  found  fortunate,  the  Prince 

Took  up  his  slate  of  ox-red  sandal-wood. 

All-beautified  by  gems  around  the  rim. 

And  sprinkled  smooth  with  dust  of  emery, 

These  took  he,  and  his  writing-stick,  and  stood 

With  eyes  bent  down  before  the  Sage,  who  said, 

"Child,  write  this  Scripture,"  speaking  slow  the  verse 

"  Gdyatri"  "  named,  which  only  High-bom  hear: — 

Om,  latsavitufi'iirenyain 

Bhargi)  dcvasya  dhimahi 

Dhiyo  yo  na  prachodaydt. 
"  Acharya,*  I  write,"  meekly  replied 
The  Prince,  and  quickly  on  the  dust  he  drew — 
Not  in  one  script,  but  many  characters — 
The  sacred  verse  ;  Nagri  *"  and  Dakshin,"  Ni," 
Mangal,"  Parusha,"  Yavn,"  Tirthi,"  Uk," 
Darad,"  Sikhyani,"  Mana,"  Madhyachar," 
The  pictured  writings  and  the  speech  of  signs, 
Tokens  of  cave-men  and  the  sea-peoples. 
Of  those  who  worship  snakes  beneath  the  earth. 
And  those  who  flame  adore  and  the  sun's  orb," 
The  Magians  and  the  dwellers  on  the  mounds  ; 
Of  all  the  nations  all  strange  scripts  he  traced 
One  after  other  with  his  writing-slick, 


16  THE   LIGHT   OF   ASIA. 

Reading  the  master's  verse  in  every  tongue  ; 
And  Viswamitra  said,  "  It  is  enough, 
Let  us  to  numbers. 

After  me  repeat 
Your  numeration  till  we  reach  the  Lakh.*' 
One,  two,  three,  four,  to  ten,  and  then  by  tens 
To  hundreds,  thousands."     After  him  the  child 
Named  digits,  decads,  centuries  ;  nor  paused. 
The  round  lakh  reached,  but  softly  murmured  on 
"  Then  comes  the  koti,  nahut,  ninnahut, 
Khamba,  viskhamba,  abab,  attata, 
To  kumuds,  gundhikas,  and  utpalas, 
By  pundarikas  unto  padumas. 
Which  last  is  how  you  count  the  utmost  grains 
Of  Hastagiri  ground  to  finest  dust  ; 
But  beyond  that  a  numeration  is, 
The  Katha,  used  to  count  the  stars  of  night ; 
The  Koti-Katha,  for  the  ocean  drops  ; 
Ingga,  the  caculus  of  circulars  ; 
Sarvanikchepa,  by  the  which  you  deal 
With  all  the  sands  of  Gunga,  till  we  come 
To  Antah-Kalpas,"  where  the  unit  is 
The  sands  of  ten  crore  "  Gungas.     If  one  seeks 
More  comprehensive  scale,  th'  arithmic  mounts 
By  the  Asankya,  which  is  the  tale 
Of  all  the  drops  that  in  ten  thousand  years 
Would  fall  on  all  the  worlds  by  daily  rain  ; 
Thence  unto  Maha  Kalpas,  by  the  which 
The  Gods  compute  their  future  and  their  past." 

"  'Tis  good,"  the  Sage  rejoined,  "  Most  noble  Prince, 
U  these  thou  know'st,  needs  it  that  I  should  teach 


BOOK    THE    FIRST.  I7 

The  mensuration  of  the  lineal  ?  " 

Humbly  the  boy  replied,  "  Acharya  !  " 

"  Be  pleased  to  hear  me.     Paramdnus"  ten 

A  parasukshma"  m^ke  ;  ten  of  those  build 

The  trasarene,"  and  seven  trasarenes 

One  mote's-length  floating  in  the  beam,  seven  motes 

The  whisker-point  of  mouse,  and  ten  of  these 

One  likhya  ;"  likhyas  ten  a  yuka,  ten 

Yukas"  a  heart  of  barley,  which  is  held 

Seven  times  a  wasp-waist ;  so  unto  the  grain 

Of  mung"  and  mustard  and  the  barley-corn, 

Whereof  ten  give  the  finger-joint,  twelve  joints 

The  span,  wherefrom  we  reach  the  cubit,  staff, 

Bow-length,  lance-length  ;  while  twenty  lengths  of  lance 

Mete  what  is  named  a  'breath,'"  which  is  to  say 

Such  space  as  man  may  stride  with  lungs  once  filled, 

Whereof  a  gow"  is  forty,  four  times  that 

A  yojana  ;"  and,  Master  !  if  it  please, 

I  shall  recite  how  many  sun-motes  lie 

From  end  to  end  within  a  yojana." 

Thereat,  with  instant  skill,  the  little  Prince 

Pronounced  the  total  of  the  atoms  true. 

But  Viswamitra  heard  it  on  his  face 

Prostrate  before  the  boy  ;  "  For  thou,"  he  cried, 

"  .\rt  Teacher  of  thy  teachers — thou,  not  I, 

Art  Gi'irii."     Oh,  I  worship  thee,  sweet  Prince ! 

That  comest  to  my  school  only  to  show 

Thou  knowcst  all  without  the  books,  and  know'st 

Fair  reverence  besides." 

Which  reverence 
Lord  Buddha  kept  to  all  hi»  schoolmasters, 


l8  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Albeit  beyond  their  learning  taught  ;  in  speech 

Right  gentle,  yet  so  wise  ;  princely  of  mien, 

Yet  softly-mannered  ;  modest,  deferent, 

"And  tender-hearted,  though  of  fearless  blood  ; 

No  bolder  horseman  in  the  youthful  band 

E'er  rode  in  gay  chase  of  the  shy  gazelles  ; 

No  keener  driver  of  the  chariot 

In  mimic  contest  scoured  the  Palace-courts  ; 

Yet  in  mid-play  the  boy  would  ofttimes  pause, 

Letting  the  deer  pass  free  ;  would  ofttimes  yield 

His  half- won  race  because  the  laboring  steeds 

Fetched  painful  breath  ;  or  if  his  princely  mates 

Saddened  to  lose,  or  if  some  wistful  dream 

Swept  o'er  his  thoughts.     And  ever  with  the  years 

Waxed  this  compassionateness  of  our  Lord, 

E\en  as  a  great  tree  grows  from  two  soft  leaves 

To  spread  its  shade  afar  ;  but  hardly  yet 

Knew  the  young  child  of  sorrow,  pain,  or  tears, 

Save  as  strange  names  for  things  not  felt  by  kings, 

Nor  ever  to  be  felt.     But  it  befell 

In  the  Royal  garden  on  a  day  of  spring, 

A  flock  of  wild  swans  passed,  voyaging  north 

To  their  nest-places  on  Himala's  breast. 

Calling  in  love-notes  down  their  snowy  line 

The  bright  birds  flew,  by  fond  love  piloted  ; 

And  Devadatta,"  cousin  of  the  Prince, 

Pointed  his  bow,  and  loosed  a  willful  shaft 

Which  found  the  wide  wing  of  the  foremost  swan  ' 

Broad-spiead  to  glide  upon  the  free  blue  road. 

So  that  it  fell,  the  bitter  arrow  fixed. 

Bright  scarlet  blood-gouts  staining  the  pure  plumes. 


BOOK    THE    FIRST.  1 9 

Which  seeing,  Prince  Siddartha  took  the  bird 
Tenderly  up,  rested  it  in  his  lap — 
Sitting  with  knees  crossed,  as  Lord  Buddha  sits — 
And,  soothing  with  a  touch  the  wild  thing's  fright. 
Composed  its  ruffled  vans,  calmed  its  quick  heart. 
Caressed  it  into  peace  with  light  kind  palms 
As  soft  as  plantain-leaves  an  hour  unrolled  ; 
And  while  the  left  hand  held,  the  right  hand  drew 
The  cruel  steel  forth  from  the  wound  and  laid 
Cool  leaves  and  healing  honey  on  the  smart. 
Yet  all  so  little  knew  the  boy  of  pain 
That  curiously  into  his  wrist  he  pressed 
The  arrow's  barb,  and  winced  to  feel  it  sting, 
And  turned  with  tears  to  soothe  his  bird  again.  * 

Then  some  one  came  who  said,  "  My  Prince  hath  shot 
A  swan,  which  fell  among  the  roses  here. 
He  bids  me  pray  you  send  it.     Will  you  send  ? ' 
"  Nay,"  quoth  Siddartha,  "  if  the  bird  were  dead 
To  send  it  to  the  slayer  might  be  well. 
But  the  swan  lives  ;  my  cousin  hath  but  killed 
The  god-like  speed  which  throbbed  in  this  white  wing." 
And  Devadatta  answered,  "Tiie  wild  thing, 
Living  or  dead,  is  his  who  fetched  it  down  ; 
'Twas  no  man's  in  the  clouds,  but  fall'n  'tis  mine. 
Give  me  my  prize,  fair  Cousin."     Then  our  Lord 
Laid  the  swan's  neck  beside  his  own  smooth  cheek 
And  gravely  spake,  "  Say  no  !  the  bird  is  mine, 
'  The  first  of  myriad  things  which  shall  be  mine 
By  right  of  mercy  and  love's  lordliness.  . 
For  now  I  know,  by  what  within  me  stirs, 
That  I  shall  teach  compassion  unto  men 


20  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

And  be  a  speechless  world's  interpreter, 
Abating  tliis  accursed  flood  of  woe, 
Not  man's  alone  ;  but,  if  the  Prince  disputes, 
Let  him  submit  this  matter  to  the  wise 
And  we  will  wait  their  word."     So  was  it  done  ; 
In  full  divan  "  the  business  had  debate, 
And  many  thought  this  thing  and  many  that, 
Till  there  arose  an  unknown  priest  who  said, 
^"  If  life  be  aught,  the  savior  of  a  life 
Owns  more  the  living  thing  than  he  can  own 
Who  sought  to  slay — the  slayer  spoils  and  wastes, 
The  cherisher  sustains,  give  him  the  bird  :  " 
Which  judgment  all  found  just  ;  but  when  the  King 
Sought  out  the  sage  for  honor,  he  was  gone  ; 
And  some  one  saw  a  hooded  snake  "  glide  forth, — 
The  gods  come  ofttimes  thus  !     So  our  Lord  Buddh 
Began  his  works  of  mercy. 

Yet  not  more 
Knew  he  as  yet  of  grief  than  that  one  bird's, 
Which,  being  healed,  went  joyous  to  its  kind. 
But  on  another  day  the  King  said,  "  Come, 
Sweet  son  !  and  see  the  pleasaunce  of  the  spring, 
And  how  the  fruitful  earth  is  wooed  to  yield 
Its  riches  to  the  reaper  ;  how  my  realm — 
Which  shall  be  thine  when  the  pile  flames  for  me"' — 
Feeds  all  its  mouths  and  keeps  the  King  s  chest  filled. 
Fair  is  the  season  with  new  leaves,  bright  blooms. 
Green  grass,  and  cries  of  plough-time."     So  they  rode 
Into  a  land  of  wells  and  gardens,  where, 
All  up  and  down  the  rich  red  loam,  the  steers 
Strained  their  strong  shoulders  in  the  creaking  yoke 


BOOK    THE    FIRST.  2E 

Dragging  the  ploughs  ;  the  fat  soil  rose  and  rolled 
In  smooth  dark  waves  back  from  the  plough  ;  who  drove 
Planted  both  feet  upon  the  leaping  share 
To  make  the  furrow  deep  ;  among  the  palms 
The  tinkle  of  the  rippling  water  rang, 
And  where  it  ran  the  glad  earth  'broidered  it 
Witli  balsams  and  the  spears  of  lemon-grass. 
Elsewhere  were  sowers  who  went  forth  to  sow  ; 
And  all  the  jungle  laughed  with  nesting-songs, 
And  all  the  thickets  rustled  with  small  life 
Of  lizard,  bee,  beetle,  and  creeping  things 
Pleased  at  the  spring-time.     In  the  mango- sprays*" 
The  sun-birds"  flashed  ;  alone  at  his  green  forge 
Toiled  the  loud  coppersmith  ;  bee-eaters  hawked 
Chasing  the  purple  butterflies  ;  beneath. 
Striped  squirrels  raced,  the  mynas"  jjcrked  and  picked, 
The  nine  brown  sisters  chattered  in  the  thorn, 
The  pied  fish-tiger  hung  above  the  pool, 
The  egrets'"  stalked  among  the  buffaloes. 
The  kites  sailed  circles  in  the  golden  air  ; 
About  the  painted  temple  peacocks  flew," 
The  blu«  doves  cooed  from  every  well,  far  off" 
The  village  drums"  beat  for  some  marriage-feast ; 
All  things  spoke  peace  and  plenty,  and  the  Prince 
Saw  and  rejoiced.     But,  looking  deep,  he  saw  * 
I  The  thorns  which  grow  upon  this  rose  of  life  :  " 
How  the  swart  peasant  sweated  for  his  wage, 
Toiling  for  leave  to  live  ;  and  how  he  urged 
The  great-eyed  o.\en  through  the  flaming  hours. 
Goading  their  velvet  flanks  :  then  marked  he,  too. 
How  lizard  fed  on  ant,  and  snake  on  him, 


82  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

And  kite  on  both  ;  and  how  the  fish-hawk  robbed 
The  fish-tiger  of  that  which  it  had  seized  ; 
The  shrike  chasing  the  bulbul/'  which  did  chase 
The  jeweled  butterflies  ;  till  everywhere 
Each  slew  a  slayer  and  in  turn  was  slain, 

,  Life  living  upon  death.     So  the  fair  show 
Veiled  one  vast,  savage,  grim  conspiracy 
Of  mutual  murder,  from  the  worm  to  man, 
,Who  himself  kills  his  fellow  ;  seeing  which — 
The  hungry  ploughman  and  his  laboring  kine, 
Their  dewlaps  blistered  with  the  bitter  yoke. 
The  rage  to  live  which  makes  all  living  strife— 
The  Prince  Siddartha  sighed.     "  Is  this,"  he  said, 
"  That  happy  earth  they  brought  me  forth  to  see  ? 
How  salt  with  sweat  the  peasant's  bread  !  how  hard 
The  oxen's  service  !  in  the  brake  how  fierce 
The  war  of  weak  and  strong  !  i'  th'  air  what  plots ! 
No  refuge  e'en  in  water.     Go  aside 
A  space,  and  let  me  muse  on  what  ye  show." 
So  saying,  the  good  Lord  Buddha  seated  him 
Under  a  jambu-tree,'**  with  ankles  crossed— 

.As  holy  statues  sit — and  first  began 

.To  medi.tate  this  deep  disease  of  life, 
What  its  far  source  and  whence  its  remedy. 
So  vast  a  pUy  filled  him,  such  wide  love 
For  living  things,  such  passion  to  heal  pain, 
That  by  their  stress  his  princely  spirit  passed 
To  ecstasy,  and,  purged  from  mortal  taint 

Of  sense  and  self,  the  boy  attained  thereat 

Dhydna,"  first  step  of  "the  path." 

There  flew 


BOOK    THE    FIRST. 

High  overhead  that  hour  five  holy  ones, 
Whose  free  wings  faltered  as  they  passed  the  tree. 
"Wh.it  power  superior  dwws  us  from  our  fliglit  ?  " 
They  asked,  for  spirits  feel  .ill  force  divine, 
And  know  the  sacred  presence  of  the  pure. 
Then,  looking  downward,  they  beheld  the  Buddh 
Crowned  with  a  rose-hued  aureole,  intent 
On  thoughts  to  save  ;  while  from  the  grove  a  voice 
Cried,  "  Rishis  !*"  this  is  He  sh.ill  help  the  world. 
Descend  and  worship."     So  the  Bright  Ones  came 
And  sang  a  song  of  praise,  folding  their  wings. 
Then  journeyed  on,  taking  good  news  to  Gods. 

But  certain  from  the  King  seeking  the  Prince 
Found  him  still  musing,  though  the  noon  was  past, 
And  the  sun  hastened  to  the  western  hills  : 
Yet,  while  all  shadows  moved,  the  jambu-tree's 
Stayed  in  one  quarter,  overspreading  him. 
Lest  the  sloped  rays  should  strike  that  sacred  head  ; 
And  he  who  saw  this  sight  heard  a  voice  say, 
Amid  the  blossoms  of  the  rose-apple, 
"  Let  be  the  King's  son  !  till  the  shadow  goes 
Forth  from  his  heart  my  shadow  will  not  shift." 


Book  tl)c  SeconJf. 


Now,  when  our  Lord  was  come  to  eighteen  years, 
The  King  commanded  that  there  should  be  built 
Three  stately  houses,  one  of  hewn  square  beams 
With  cedar  lining,  warm  for  winter  days  ; 
One  of  veined  marbles,  cool  for  summer  heat  ; 
And  one  of  burned  bricks,  with  blue  tiles  bedecked. 
Pleasant  at  seed-time,  when  the  champaks'  bud — 
Subha,'  Suramma,^  Ramma,''  were  their  names. 
Delicious  gardens  round  about  them  bloomed, 
Streams  wandered  wild  and  musky  thickets  stretched, 
With  many  a  bright  pavilion  and  fair  lawn 
In  midst  of  which  Siddartha  strayed  at  will. 
Some  new  delight  provided  every  hour  ; 
And  happy  hours  he  knew,  for  life  was  rich, 
With  youthful  blood  at  quickest  ;  yet  still  came 
The  shadows  of  his  meditation  back. 
As  the  lake's  silver  dulls  with  driving  clouds. 

Which  the  King  marking,  called  his  Ministers  : 
"  Bethink  ye,  sirs  !  how  the  old  Rishi  spake," 
He  said,  "  and  what  my  dream-readers  foretold. 
This  boy,  more  dear  to  me  than  mine  heart's  blood, 
34 


BOOK    THE   SECOND.  25 

Shall  be  of  universal  dominance, 

Trampling  the  neck  of  all  his  enemies, 

A  King  of  kings — and  this  is  in  my  heart ; — 

■  Or  he  shall  tread  the  sad  and  lowly  path 

•  Of  self;denial  and  of  pious  pains, 
Gaining  who  knows  what  good,  when  all  is  lost 
Worth  keeping  ;  and  to  this  his  wistful  eyes 
Do  still  incline  amid  my  palaces. 
But  ye  are  sage,  and  ye  will  counsel  me  ; 
How  may  his  feet  be  turned  to  that  proud  road 
Where  they  should  walk,  and  all  fair  signs  come  true 
Which  gave  him  Earth  to  rule,  if  he  would  rule  ? " 

The  eldest  answered,  "  Maharaja  ! '  love 
Will  cure  these  thin  distempers  ;  weave  the  spell 
Of  woman's  wiles  about  his  idle  heart. 
What  knows  this  noble  boy  of  beauty  yet, 
Eyes  that  make  heaven  forgot,  and  lijis  of  balm? 
Find  him  soft  wives  and  i)retty  playfellows ; 
The  thoughts  ye  cannot  stay  with  brazen  chains 
A  girl's  hair  lightly  binds. " 

And  all  thought  good, 
But  the  King  answered,  "  If  we  seek  him  wives, 
Love  chooseth  ofttimcs  with  another  eye  ; 
And  if  we  bid  range  Beauty's  garden  round, 
To  pluck  what  blossom  pleases,  he  will  smile 
And  sweetly  shun  the  joy  he  knows  not  of." 
Then  said  another,  "Roams  the  barasingh* 
Until  the  fated  arrow  flies  ;  for  him. 
As  for  less  lordly  spirits,  some  one  charms, 
Some  face  will  seem  a  Paradise,  some  form 
Fairer  than  pale  Dawn  when  she  wakes  the  world. 


20  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

This  do,  my  King !     Command  a  festival 
Where  the  realm's  maids  shall  be  competitors 
In  youth  and  grace,'  and  sports  that  Sakyas  use. 
Let  the  Prince  give  tlie  prizes  to  the  fair, 
And,  when  the  lovely  victors  pass  his  seat, 
There  shall  be  those  who  mark  if  one  or  two 
Change  the  fixed  sadness  of  his  tender  cheek ; 
So  we  may  choose  for  Love  with  Love's  own  eyes, 
And  cheat  his  Highness  into  happiness." 
This  thing  seemed  good  •,  wherefore  upon  a  day 
The  criers  bade  the  young  and  beautiful 
Pass  to  the  palace,  for  'twas  in  command 
To  hold  a  court  of  pleasure,  and  the  Prince 

/Would  give  the  prizes,  something  rich  for  all, 
The  richest  for  the  fairest  judged.     So  flocked 
Kapilavastu's'  maidens  to  the  gate, 
Each  with  her  dark  hair  newly  smoothed  and  bound, 
Eyelashes  lustred  with  the  soorma-stick,' 
Fresh-bathed  and  scented  ;  all  in  shawls  and  cloths 
Of  gayest ;  slender  hands  and  feet  new-stained 
With  crimson,'"  and  the  tilka-spots"  stamped  bright. 
Fair  show  it  was  of  all  tliose  Indian  girls 
Slow-pacing  past  the  throne  with  large  black  eyes 
Fixed  on  the  ground,  for  when  they  saw  the  Prince 
More  than  the  awe  of  Majesty  made  beat 

.Their  fluttering  hearts,  he  sate  so  passionless, 
Gentle,  but  so  beyond  tliem.     Each  maid  took 
With  down-dropped  lids  her  gift,  afraid  to  gaze ; 
And  if  the  people  hailed  some  lovelier  one 
Beyond  her  rivals  worthy  royal  smiles, 
She  stood  like  a  scared  antelope  to  touch 


BOOK    THE    SKCONI). 

The  gracious  hand,  then  fled  to  join  her  mates 
Trembling  at  favor,  so  divine  he  seemed, 
So  high  and  saint-like  and  above  her  world. 
Thus  filed  they,  one  bright  maid  after  another, 
The  city's  flowers,  and  all  this  beauteous  march 
Was  ending  and  the  prizes  spent,  when  last 
Came  young  Yasodhara,"  and  they  that  stood 
Nearest  Siddartha  saw  the  princely  boy 
Start,  as  the  radiant  girl  approached.     A  form 
Of  heavenly  mold  ;  a  gait  like  Parvati's  ;" 
Eyes  like  a  hind's  in  love-time,  face  so  fair 
Words  cannot  paint  its  spell  ;  and  she  alone 
Gazed  full — folding  her  palms  across  her  breasts — 
On  the  boy's  gaze,  her  stately  neck  unbent. 
"  Is  there  a  gift  for  me  ? "  she  asked,  and  smiled. 
"  The  gifts  are  gone,"  the  Prince  replied,  "  yet  take 
This  for  amends,  dear  sister,  of  whose  grace 
Dur  happy  city  boasts  ;  "  therewith  he  loosed 
The  emerald  necklet  from  his  throat,  and  clasped 
its  green  beads  round  her  dark  and  silk-soft  waist  ; 
A.nd  their  eyes  mixed,  and  from  the  look  sprang  love. 

Long  after — when  enlightenment  was  full — 
Lord  Buddha — being  prayed  why  thus  his  heart 
rook  fire  at  first  glance  of  the  Sdkya  girl, 
\nswered,  "  We  were  not  strangers,  as  to  us 
\nd  all  it  seemed  ;  in  ages  long  gone  by 
V  hunter's  son,  playing  with  forest  girls 
3y  Yamun's"  springs,  where  Nandadevi"  stands, 
>ate  umpire  while  they  raced  beneath  the  firs 
^ikc  hares  at  eve  that  run  their  playful  rings  ; 


2»  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

One  with  flower-stars  crowned  he,  one  with  long  plumes 

Plucked  from  eyed  pheasant  and  the  jungle-cock, 

One  with  fir-apples  ;  but  who  ran  the  last 

Came  first  for  him,  and  unto  her  the  boy 

Gave  a  tame  fawn  and  his  heart's  love  beside. 

And  in  the  wood  they  lived  many  glad  years, 

And  in  the  wood  they  undivided  died. 

Lo  !  as  hid  seed  shoots  after  rainless  years, 

So  good  and  evil,  pains  and  pleasures,  hates 

And  loves,  and  all  dead  deeds,  come  forth  again 

Bearing  bright  leaves  or  dark,  sweet  fruit  or  sour. 

Thus  I  was  he  and  she  Yasodhara  ; 

And  while  the  wheel  of  birth  and  death  turns  round, 

That  which  hath  been  must  be  between  us  two." 

But  they  who  watched  the  Prince  at  prize-giving 
Saw  and  heard  all,  and  told  the  careful  King 
How  sate  Siddartha  heedless,  till  there  passed 
Great  Suprabuddha's  child,  Yasodhara  ; 
And  how — at  sudden  sight  of  her — he  clianged, 
And  how  she  gazed  on  him  and  he  on  her, 
And  of  the  jewel-gift,  and  what  beside 
Passed  in  their  speaking  glance. 

The  fond  King  smiled  : 
"  Look  !  we  have  found"  a  lure  ;  take  counsel  now 
To  fetch  therewith  our  falcon  from  the  clouds. 
Let  messengers  be  sent  to  ask  the  maid 
In  marriage  for  my  son."     But  it  was  law 
With  Sikyas,  when  any  asked  a  maid 
0|  noble  house,  fair  and  desirable. 
He  must  make  good  his  skill  in  martial  arts 


BOOK    THE   SECONn.  29 

Against  all  suitors  who  should  challenge  it ; 

Nor  might  this  custom  break  itself  for  kings. 

Therefore  her  father  spake  :  "  Say  to  the  King, 

The  child  is  sought  by  princes  far  and  near  ; 

If  thy  most  gentle  son  can  bend  the  bow, 

Sway  sword,  and  back  a  horse  better  than  they, 

Best  would  he  be  in  all  and  best  to  us  : 

But  how  shall  this  be,  with  his  cloistered  ways  ?  " 

Then  the  King's  heart  was  sore,  for  now  the  Prince 

Begged  sweet  Yas6dhara  for  wife — in  vain, 

With  Devadatta  foremost  at  the  bow, 

Ardjuna"  master  of  all  fiery  steeds, 

And  Nanda"  chief  in  sword-play  ;  but  the  Prince 

Laughed  low  and  said,  "  These  things,  too,  I  have  learned 

Make  proclamation  that  thy  son  will  meet 

All  comers  at  their  chosen  games.     I  think 

I  shall  not  lose  my  love  for  such  as  these." 

So  'twas  given  forth  that  on  the  seventh  day 

The  Prince  Siddartha  summoned  whoso  would 

To  match  with  him  in  feats  of  manliness. 

The  victor's  crown  to  be  Yasodhara. 

Therefore,  upon  the  seventh  day,  there  went 
The  Sdkya  lords  and  town  and  country  round 
Unto  the  maiddn  ;"  and  the  maid  went  too 
Amid  her  kinsfolk,  carried  as  a  bride. 
With  music,"  arid  with  litters  gayly  dight, 
And  gold-horned  oxen,  flower-caparisoned." 
Wliom  Devadatta  claimed,  of  royal  line. 
And  Nanda  and  Ardjuna,  noble  both. 
The  flower  of  all  youths  there,  till  the  Prince  came 


3"  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Riding  his  white  horse  Kantaka,  which  neighed. 

Astonished  at  this  great  strange  world  without : 

Also  Siddartha  gazed  with  wondering  eyes 

On  all  those  people  born  beneath  the  throne, 

Otherwise  housed  than  kings,  otherwise  fed, 

And  yet  so  like — perchance — in  joys  and  griefs. 

But  when  the  Prince  saw  sweet  Yasodhara, 

Brightly  he  smiled,  and  drew  his  silken  rein. 

Leaped  to  the  earth  from  Kantaka's  broad  back. 

And  cried,  "  He  is  not  worthy  of  this  pearl 

Who  is  not  worthiest  ;  let  my  rivals  prove 

If  I  have  dared  too  much  in  seeking  her." 

Then  Nanda  challenged  for  the  arrow-test 

And  set  a  brazen  drum  si.x  gows  away, 

Ardjuna  six  and  Devadatta  eight ; 

But  Prince  Siddartha  bade  them  set  his  drum 

Ten  gows-'  from  off  the  line,  until  it  seemed 

A  cowry-shelP  for  target.     Then  they  loosed. 

And  Nanda  pierced  his  drum,  Ardjuna  his, 

And  Devadatta  drove  a  well-aimed  shaft 

Through  both  sides  of  his  mark,  so  that  the  crowd 

Marveled  and  cried  ;  and  sweet  Yasodhara 

Dropped  the  gold  sari"'  o'er  her  fearful  eyes. 

Lest  she  should  see  her  Prince's  arrow  fail. 

But  he,  taking  their  bow  of  lacquered  cane, 

With  sinews  bound,  and  strong  with  silver  wire, 

Which  none  but  stalwart  arms  could  draw  ^  span. 

Thrummed  it — low  laughing — drew  the  twisted  string 

Till  the  horns  kissed,  and  the  thick  belly  snapped  : 

"  That  is  for  play,  not  love,"  he  said  ;  "hath  none 

A  bow  more  fit  for  Sakya  lords  to  use  ?  " 


BOOK    THE    SECOND. 

And  one  said,  "  There  is  Sinhahdnu's  bow," 

Kept  in  the  temple  since  we  know  not  when. 

Which  none  can  string,  nor  draw  if  it  be  strung." 

"  Fetch  me,"  he  cried,  "  tliat  weapon  of  a  man  !  " 

They  brought  the  ancient  bow,  wrought  of  black  steel 

Laid  with  gold  tendrils  on  its  brandling  curves 

Like  bison-horns  ;  and  twice  Sidddrtha  tried 

Its  strength  across  his  knee,  then  spake — "  Shoot  now 

With  this,  my  cousins  !  "  but  they  could  not  bring 

The  stubborn  arms  a  hand's-breadth  nigher  use  ; 

Then  the  Prince,  lightly  leaning,  bent  the  bow," 

Slipped  home  the  eye  upon  the  notch,  ard  twanged 

Sharply  the  cord,  which,  like  an  eagle's  wing 

Thrilling  the  air,  sang  forth  so  clear  and  loud 

That  feeble  folk  at  home  that  day  inquired 

"  What  is  this  sound  ?  "  and  people  answered  them, 

"  It  is  the  sound  of  Sinhahdnu's  bow. 

Which  the  King's  son  has  strung  and  goes  to  shoot ; " 

Then  fitting  fair  a  shaft,  he  drew  and  loosed. 

And  the  keen  arrow  clove  the  sky,  and  drave 

Right  through  that  farthest  drum,  nor  stayed  its  flight 

But  skimmed  the  plain  beyond,  past  reach  ov  eye. 

Then  Devadatta  challen  ;ed  with  the  sword. 
And  clove  a  Talas-tree"  six  fingers  thick  ;** 
Ardjuna  seven  ;  and  Nanda  cut  through  nine  ; 
But  two  such  stems  together  grew,  and  both 
Sidddrtha's  blade  shred  at  one  flashing  stroke. 
Keen,  but  so  smooth  that  the  straight  trunks  upstood, 
And  Nanda  cried,  "  His  edge  turned  !  "  and  the  maid 
Trembled  anew  seeing  the  trees  erect, 


32  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASTA. 

Until  the  Devas  of  the  air,  who  watched, 

Blew  light  breaths  from  the  south,  and  both  green  crowns 

Crashed  in  the  sand,  clean-felled. 

Then  brought  they  steeds 
High-mettled,  nobly- bred,  and  three  times  scoured 
Around  the  maidan,  but  white  Kantaka 
Left  even  the  fleetest  far  behind — so  swift, 
That  ere  the  foam  fell  from  Iiis  mouth  to  earth 
Twenty  spear-lengths  he  flew  ;  but  Nanda  said, 
"We  too  mi.i;ht  win  with  such  as  Kantaka  ; 
Bring  an  unbroken  horse,  and  let  men  see 
Who  best  can  back  him."     So  the  syces^  brought 
A  stallion  dark  as  night,  led  by  three  chains, 
Fierce  eyed,  with  nostrils  wide  and  tossing  mane. 
Unshod,  unsaddled,  for  no  rider  yet 
Had  crossed  him.     Three  times  each  young  Sikya 
Sprang  to  his  mighty  back,  but  the  hot  steed 
Furiously  reared,  and  flung  them  to  the  plain 
In  dust  and  shame  ;  only  Ardjuna  held 
His  seat  awhile,  and,  bidding  loose  the  chains, 
Lashed  the  black  flank,  and  shook  the  bit,  and  held 
The  proud  jaws  fast  with  grasp  of  master-hand. 
So  that  in  storms  of  wrath  and  rage  and  fear 
The  savage  stallion  circled  once  the  plain 
Half-tamed  ;  but  sudden  turned  with  naked  teeth, 
Gripped  by  the  foot  Ardjuna,  tore  him  down. 
And  would  have  sl.iin  him,  but  the  grooms  ran  in 
Fettering  the  maddened  beast.     Then  all  men  cried, 
"  Let  not  Siddartha  meddle  with  this  Bhiit,'' 
Whose  liver  is  a  tempest,  and  his  blood 
Red  flame  ;  "  but  the  Prince  said,  "  Let  go  the  chains, 


BOOK    THE   SECOND. 

Give  me  his  forelock  only,"  which  he  held 
With  quiet  grasp,  and,  speaking  some  low  word, 
Laid  his  right  palm  across  the  stallion's  eyes. 
And  drew  it  gently  down  the  angry  face, 
And  all  along  the  neck  and  panting  flanks. 
Till  men  astonished  saw  the  night-black  horse 
Sink  his  fierce  crest  and  stand  subdued  and  meek, 
As  though  he  knew  our  Lord  and  worshiped  him. 
Nor  stirred  he  while  Siddartha  mounted,  then 
Went  soberly  to  touch  of  knee  and  rein 
Before  all  eyes,  so  that  the  people  said, 
"  Strive  no  more,  for  Sidddrtha  is  the  best." 

And  all  the  suitors  answered  "  He  is  best !  " 
And  Suprabuddha,  father  of  the  maid. 
Said,  "  It  was  in  our  hearts  to  find  thee  best. 
Being  dearest,  yet  what  magic  taught  thee  more 
Of  manhood  'mid  thy  rose-bowers  and  thy  dreams 
Than  war  and  chase  and  world's  work  bring  to  these  r 
But  wear,  fair  Prince,  the  treasure  thou  hast  won." 
Then  at  a  word  the  lovely  Indian  girl 
Rose  from  her  place  above  the  throng,  and  took 
A  crown  of  radgra-flowers"  and  lightly  drew 
The  veil  of  black  and  gold  across  her  brow, 
Proud  pacing  past  the  youths,  until  she  came 
To  where  Siddartha  stood  in  grace  divine, 
New  lighted  from  the  night-dark  steed,  which  bent 
Its  strong  neck  meekly  underneath  his  arm. 
Before  the  Prince  lowly  she  bowed,  and  bared 
Her  face  celestial  beaming  with  glad  love  ; 
Then  on  his  neck  she  hung  the  fragrant  wreath, 
9 


34 


THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA 


And  on  his  breast  she  laid  her  perfect  head, 
And  stooped  to  touch  his  feet  with  proud  glad  eyes, 
Saying,  "  Dear  Prince,  behold  me,  who  am  thine  !  " 
And  all  the  throng  rejoiced,  seeing  them  pass 
Hand  fast  in  hand,  and  heart  beating  with  heart, 
The  veil  of  black  and  gold  drawn  close  again. 

Long  after — when  enlightenment  was  come — 
They  prayed  Lord  Buddha  touching  all,  and  why 
She  wore  this  black  and  gold,  and  stepped  so  proud. 
And  the  World-honored  answered,  "  Unto  me 
This  was  unknown,  albeit  it  seemed  half  known  ; 
For  while  the  wheel  of  birth  and  death  turns  round, 
Past  things  and  thoughts,  and  buried  lives  come  back 
I  now  remember,  myriad  rains  ago. 
What  time  I  roamed  Himala's  hanging  woods, 
A  tiger,  with  my  striped  and  hungry  kind  ; 
I,  who  am  Buddh,  couched  in  the  kusa  grass" 
Gazing  with  green  blinked  eyes  upon  the  herds 
Which  pastured  near  and  nearer  to  their  death- 
Round  my  day-lair  ;  or  underneath  the  stars 
I  roamed  for  prey,  savage,  insatiable, 
Sniffing  the  paths  for  track  of  man  and  deer. 
Amid  the  beasts  that  were  my  fellows  then, 
Met  in  deep  jungle  or  by  reedy  jheel,^* 
A  tigress,  comeliest  of  the  forest,  set 
The  males  at  war  ;  her  hide  was  lit  with  gold, 
Black-broidered  like  the  veil  Yasodhara 
Wore  for  me ;  hot  the  strife  waxed  in  that  wood 
With  tooth  and  claw,  while  underneath  a  neem^ 
The  fair  beast  watched  us  bleed,  thus  fiercely  wooed. 


BOOK    THE   SVrOND. 

And  I  remember,  at  the  end  she  came 

Snarling  past  tliis  and  that  torn  forest-lord 

Which  I  had  conquered,  and  with  fawning  jaws 

Licked  my  quick-heaving  flank,  and  with  me  went 

Into  the  wild  with  proud  steps,  amorously. 

The  whed  of  birth  and  death  turns  low  and  high." 

Therefore  the  maid  was  given  unto  the  Prince 
A  wilhng  spoil ;  and  when  the  stars  were  good — 
Mesha,"  the  Red  Ram,  being  Lord  of  heaven — 
The  marriage  feast  was  kept,  as  Sdkyas  use, 
The  golden  gadi"  set,  the  carpet  spread, 
•  The  wedding  garlands  hung,  the  arm-threads  tied," 
The  sweet  cake  broke,  the  rice  and  attar  thrown,^' 
The  two  straws  floated  on  the  reddened  milk, 
Which,  coming  close,  betokened  "  love  till  death  ; ' 
The  seven  steps  taken  thrice  around  the  fire, 
The  gifts  bestowed  on  holy  men,  the  alms 
And  temple  offerings  made,  the  mantras'*  sung. 
The  garments  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom  tied. 
Then  the  gray  father  spake  :  "  Worshipful  Prince, 
She  that  was  ours  henceforth  is  only  thine  ; 
Be  good  to  her,  who  hath  her  life  in  thee." 
Where^tith  they  brought  home  sweet  Yasodhara, 
With  songs  and  trumpets,  to  the  Prince's  arms, 
And  love  was  all  in  all. 

Yet  not  to  love 
Alone  trusted  the  King  ;  love's  prison-house 
Stately  and  beautiful  he  bade  them  build, 
So  that  in  all  the  earth  no  marvel  was 
Like  Vishramvan,  the  Prince's  pleasure-placev 


JO  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Midway  in  those  wide  palace-grounds  there  rose 
A  verdant  hill  whose  base  Rohini®  batlied, 
Murmuring  adown  from  Kimalay's  broad  feet, 
To  bear  its  tribute  into  Gunga's*  waves. 
Southward  a  growth  of  tamarind  trees  and  sal/' 
Thick  set  with  pale  sky-colored  ganthi  flowers/' 
Shut  out  the  world,  save  if  the  city's  hum 
Came  on  the  wind  no  harsher  than  when  bees 
Hum  out  of  sight  in  thickets.     Northwards  soared 
The  stainless  ramps  of  huge  Himala's  wall,'" 
Ranged  in  white  ranks  against  the  blue — untrod. 
Infinite,  wonderful — whose  uplands  vast, 
And  lifted  universe  of  crest  and  crag, 
Shoulder  and  shelf,  green  slope  and  icy  horn, 
Riven  ravine,  and  splintered  precipice 
Led  climbing  thought  higher  and  higher,  until 
It  seemed  to  stand  in  heaven  and  speak  with  gods. 
Beneath  the  snows  dark  forests  spread,  sharp  laced 
With  leaping  cataracts  and  veiled  with  clouds  : 
Lower  grew  rosfe-oaks  and  the  great  fir  groves 
Where  echoed  pheasant's  call  and  panther's  cry. 
Clatter  of  wild  sheep  on  the  stones,  and  scream 
Of  circling  eagles  :  under  these  the  plain 
Gleamed  like  a  praying-carpet  at  the  foot  * 

Of  those  divinest  altars.     Fronting  this 
The  builders  set  the  bright  pavilion  up. 
Fair-planted  on  the  terraced  hill,  with  towers 
On  either  flank  and  pillared  cloisters  round. 
Its  beams  were  carved  with  stories  of  old  time — 
Radha  and  Krishna  and  the  sylvan  girls — " 
Sita"  and  Hanuman  and  Draupadi  f' 


BOOK    THE   SECOND.  j 

And  on  the  middle  porch  God  Ganesha, 

With  disc  and  hook — to  brinf;  wisdom  and  wealth — 

Propitious  sate,  wreathing  his  sidelong  trunk." 

hy  winding  ways  of  garden  and  of  court 

The  inner  gate  was  reached,  of  marble  wrought, 

White  with  pink  veins  ;  the  lintel  lazuli, 

The  threshold  alabaster,  and  the  doors 

.Sandal-wood,  cut  in  pictured  paneling  ; 

Whereby  to  lofty  halls  and  shadowy  bowers 

Passed  the  delighted  foot,  on  stately  stairs, 

Through  latticed  galleries,  'neath  painted  roofs 

And  clustering  columns,  where  cool  fountains — fringed 

With  lotus  and  nelumbo" — danced,  and  fish 

Gleamed  through  their  crystal,  scarlet,  gold,  and  blue. 

Great-eyed  gazelles  in  sunny  alcoves  browsed 

The  blown  red  roses  ;  birds  of  rainbow  wing 

Fluttered  among  the  palms ;  doves,  green  and  gray, 

Built  their  safe  nests  on  gilded  cornices  ; 

Over  the  shining  pavements  peacocks  drew 

The  splendors  of  their  trains,  sedately  watched 

By  milk-white  herons  and  the  small  house-owls. 

The  plum-necked  parrots  swung  from  fruit  to  fruit ; 

The  yellow  sun-birds  whirred  from  bloom  to  bloom. 

The  timid  lizards  on  the  lattice  basked 

Fearless,  the  squirrels  ran  to  feed  from  hand, 

For  all  was  peace  :  the  shy  black  snake,  that  gives 

Fortune  to  households,  sunned  his  sleepy  coils 

Under  the  moon-flowers,  where  the  musk-deer  played, 

And  brown-eyed  monkeys  chattered  to  the  crows. 

.\nd  all  thishouse  of  love  was  peopled  fair 

With  sweet  attendance,  so  that  in  each  part 


38  THE   LIGHT    OF   ASIA. 

With  lovely  sights  were  gentle  faces  found, 
Soft  speech  and  willing  service,  each  one  glad 
To  gladden,  pleased  at  pleasure,  proud  to  obey ; 
Till  life  glided  beguiled,  like  a  smooth  stream 
Banked  by  perpetual  flow'rs,  Yasodhara 
Queen  of  the  enchanting  Court. 

But  innermost, 
Beyond  the  richness  of  those  hundred  halls, 
A  secret  chamber  lurked,  where  skill  had  spent 
All  lovely  fantasies  to  lull  the  mind. 
The  entrance  of  it  was  a  cloistered  square — 
Roofed  by  the  sky,  and  in  the  midst  a  tank — 
Of  milky  marble  built,  and  laid  with  slabs 
Of  milk-white  marble  ;  bordered  round  the  tank 
And  on  the  steps,  and  all  along  the  frieze 
With  tender  inlaid  work  of  agate-stones. 
Cool  as  to  tread  in  summer-time  on  snows 
It  was  to  loiter  there  ;  the  sunbeams  dropped 
Their  gold,  and,  passing  into  porch  and  niche, 
Softened  to  shadows,  silvery,  pale,  and  dim. 
As  if  the  very  Day  paused  and  grew  Eve 
In  love  and  silence  at  that  bower's  gate  ; 
For  there  beyond  the  gate  the  chamber  was, 
Beautiful,  sweet ;  a  wonder  of  the  world  ! 
Soft  light  from  perfumed  lamps  through  windows  fell 
Of  nakre*'  and  stained  stars  of  lucent  film 
On  golden  cloths  outspread,  and  silken  beds. 
And  heavy  splendor  of  the  purdah's"  fringe, 
Lifted  to  take  only  the  loveliest  in. 
Here,  whether  it  was  night  or  day  none  knew. 
For  always  streamed  that  softened  light,  more  bright 


BOOK    THE   SECOND. 

Than  sunrise,  but  as  tender  as  the  eve's  ; 

And  always  breathed  sweet  airs,  more  joy-giving 

Than  morning's,  but  as  cool  as  midnight's  breath  ; 

And  night  and  day  lutes  sighed,  and  night  and  day 

Delicious  foods  were  spread,  and  dewy  fruits, 

Sherbets  new  chilled  with  snows  of  Himalay, 

And  sweetmeats  made  of  subtle  daintiness, 

With  sweet  tree-milk  in  its  own  ivory  cup. 

And  night  and  day  served  there  a  chosen  band 

Of  nautch  girls,  cup-bearers,  and  cymbalers, 

Delicate,  dark-browed  ministers  of  love. 

Who  fanned  the  sleeping  eyes  of  the  happy  Prince, 

And  when  he  waked,  led  back  his  thoughts  to  bliss 

With  music  whispering  through  the  blooms,  and  charm 

Of  amorous  songs  and  dreamy  dances,  linked 

By  chime  of  ankle-bells  and  wave  of  arms 

And  silver  vina-strings  ;"  while  essences 

Of  musk  and  champak  and  the  blue  haze  spread 

From  burning  spices  soothed  his  soul  again 

To  drowse  by  sweet  Yas6dhara  ;  and  thus 

Sidddrtha  lived  forgetting. 

Furthermore, 
The  King  commanded  that  within  those  walls 
No  mention  should  be  made  of  death  or  age, 
Sorrow,  or  pain,  or  sickness.     If  one  drooped 
In  the  lovely  Court — her  dark  glance  dim,  her  feet 
Faint  in  the  dance — the  guiltless  criminal 
Passed  forth  an  exile  from  that  Paradise, 
Lest  he  should  see  and  suffer  at  her  woe. 
Bright-eyed  intendants  watched  to  execute 
Sentence  on  such  as  spake  of  the  harsh  world 


^O  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Without,  wnere  aches  and  plagues  were,  tears  and  fears, 

And  wail  of  mourners,  and  grim  fume  of  pyres. 

'Twas  treason  if  a  thread  of  silver  strayed 

In  tress  of  singing-girl  or  nautch-dancer  ; 

And  every  dawn  the  dying  rose  was  plucked. 

The  dead  leaves  hid,  all  evil  sights  removed  : 

For  said  the  King,  "  If  he  shall  pass  his  youth 

Far  from  such  things  as  move  to  wistfulness, 

And  brooding  on  the  empty  eggs  of  thought, 

The  shacJow  of  this  fate,  too  vast  for  man, 

May  fade,  belike,  and  I  shall  see  him  grow 

To  that  great  stature  ^f  fair  sovereignty" 

When  he  shall  rule  all  lands — if  he  will  rule — 

The  King  of  kings  and  glory  of  his  time." 

Wherefore,  around  that  pleasant  prison-house — 
Where  love  was  jailer  and  delights  its  bars, 
But  far  removed  from  sight — the  King  bade  build 
A  massive  wall,  and  in  the  wall  a  gate 
With  brazen  folding-doors,  which  but  to  roll 
Back  on  their  hinges  asked  a  hundred  arms  ; 
Also  the  noise  of  that  prodigious  gate 
Opening,  was  heard  full  half  a  yojana. 
And  inside  this  anotlier  gate  he  made, 
And  yet  within  another — through  the  three 
Must  one  pass  if  he  quit  that  Pleasure-house. 
Three  mighty  gates  there  were,  bolted  and  barred. 
And  over  each  was  set  a  faithful  watch  ; 
And  the  King's  order  said,  "  Suffer  no  man 
To  pass  the  gates,  though  he  should  be  the  Prince  : 
This  on  your  lives — even  though  it  be  my  son." 


Book  the  dhirl*. 


In  which  calm  home  of  happy  life  and  love 
I.igged  our  Lord  Buddha,  knowing  not  of  woe, 
Nor  want,  nor  pain,  nor  plague,  nor  age,  nor  death, 
Save  as  when  sleepers  roam  dim  seas  in  dreams. 
And  land  awearied  on  the  shores  of  day, 
Bringing  strange  merchandise  from  that  black  voyage. 
Thus  ofttimes  when  he  lay  with  gentle  head 
Lulled  on  the  dark  breasts  of  Yasodhara, 
Her  fond  hands  fanning  slow  his  sleeping  lids. 
He  would  start  up  and  cry,  "  My  world  !     Oh,  world  ! 
I  hear  !  I  know  !  I  come  !  "     And  she  would  ask, 
"  What  ails  my  Lord  ? "  with  large  eyes  terror-slruck 
For  at  such  times  the  pity  in  his  look 
Was  awful,  and  his  visage  like  a  god's. 
Then  would  he  smile  again  to  stay  her  tears, 
And  bid  the  vfnas  sound  ;  but  once  they  set 
A  stringed  gourd  on  the  sill,  there  where  the  wind 
Could  linger  o'er  its  notes  and  play  at  will — 
Wild  music  makes  the  wind  on  silver  strings — 
.\nd  those  who  lay  around  heard  only  that  ; 
Bat  Prince  Siddartha  heard  the  Devas  play, 
\n(l  to  his  ears  they  sang  such  words  as  these  : — 
41 


42  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

l^  e  are  the  voices  of  the  wandering  wind, 
Which  moan  for  rest  and  rest  can  never  find ; 
Lo!  as  the  wind  is  so  is  mortal  life, 
A  moan,  a  sigh,  a  sob,  a  storm,  a  strife. 

Wherefore  and  whence  we  are  ye  cannot  know. 
Nor  where  life  springs  nor  whither  life  doth  go  ; 
We  are  as  ye  are,  ghosts  from  the  inane, 
What  pleasure  have  we  of  our  changeful  pain  ? 

What  pleasure  hast  thou  of  thy  changeless  bliss  ? 
Nay,  if  love  lasted,  there  were  Joy  in  this  j 
But  life's  way  is  the  wind's  way,  all  these  things 
Are  but  brief  voices  breathed  on  shifting  strings. 

O  Mayd's  son  !  because  we  roam  the  earth 
Moan  we  upon  these  strings  j  we  make  no  mirth, 
So  many  woes  we  see  in  many  lands. 
So  many  streaming  eyes  and  wringing  hattds. 

Yet  mock  we  while  we  wail,  for,  could  they  know. 
This  life  they  cling  to  is  but  empty  show  ; 
'  Twere  all  as  well  to  bid  a  cloud  to  stand. 
Or  hold  a  running  river  with  the  hand. 

But  thou  that  art  to  save,  thine  hour  is  nigh  ! 
The  sad  world  waitcth  in  its  misery. 
The  blind  world  stumbleth  on  its  round  of  pain  ; 
Rise,  Mayd's  child !  wake  !  slumber  not  again! 

We  are  the  voices  of  the  wandering  wind  : 
Wander  thou,  too,  O  Prince,  thy  rest  to  find; 


BOOK    THE   THIRD. 

Leave  love  for  Im^e  of  Inrrs,  for  woe's  sake 
Quit  state  for  sorrow,  and  deliverance  make. 

So  sigli  we,  passing  o'er  the  silver  strings, 

To  thee  who  kno^v'st  not  yet  of  earthly  things  ; 

So  say  we  ;  mocking,  as  we  pass  atvay. 

These  lovely  shado^vs  wherewith  thou  dost  play.  ^ 

Thereafter  it  befell  he  sate  at  eve 
Amid  his  beauteous  Court,  holding  the  hand 
Of  sweet  Yasbdhara,  and  some  maid  told — 
With  breaks  of  music  when  her  rich  voice  dropped- 
An  ancient  tale  to  speed  the  hour  of  dusk, 
Of  love,  and  of  a  magic  horse,  and  lands 
Wonderful,  distant,  where  pale  peoples  dwelled, 
And  where  the  sun  at  night  sank  into  seas. 
Then  spake  he,  sighing,  "  Chitra'  brings  me  back 
The  wind's  song  in  the  strings  with  that  fair  tale. 
Give  her,  Yasddhara,  thy  pearl  for  thanks. 
But  thou,  my  pearl  !  is  there  so  wide  z.  world .' 
Is  there  a  land  which  sees  the  great  sun  roll 
Into  the  waves,  and  are  there  hearts  like  ours, 
Countless,  unknown,  not  happy — it  may  be — 
Whom  we  might  succor  if  we  knew  of  them  ? 
Ofttimes  I  marvel,  as  the  Lord  of  day 
Treads  from  the  east  his  kingly  road  of  gold. 
Who  first  on  the  world's  edge  hath  hailed  his  beam. 
The  children  of  the  morning  ;  oftentimes. 
Even  in  thine  arms  and  on  thy  breasts,  bright  wife. 
Sore  have  I  pr.ntcd,  at  the  sun's  decline, 
To  pass  with  him  into  that  crimson  west 


44  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

And  see  the  peoples  of  the  evening. 

There  must  be  many  we  should  love — how  else  ? 

Now  have  I  in  this  hour  an  ache,  at  last, 

Thy  soft  lips  cannot  kiss  away  :  oh,  girl  ! 

O  Chitra  !  you  that  know  of  fairyland  ! 

Where  tether  they  that  swift  steed  of  the  tale  ? 

My  palace  for  one  day  upon  his  back, 

To  ride  and  ride  and  see  the  spread  of  the  earth  ! 

Nay,  if  I  had  yon  callow  vulture's  plumes — 

The  carrion  heir  of  wider  realms  than  mine — 

How  would  I  stretch  for  topmost  Himalay, 

Light  where  the  rose-gleam  lingers  on  those  snows. 

And  strain  my  gaze  with  searching  what  is  round  ! 

Why  have  I  never  seen  and  never  sought  ? 

Tell  me  what  lies  beyond  our  brazen  gates." 

Then  one  replied,  "  The  city  first,  fair  Prince  ! 
The  temples,  and  the  gardens,  and  the  groves. 
And  then  the  fields,  and  afterwards  fresh  fields, 
With  nullahs,^  maidans,'  jungle,  koss  on  koss  ;'' 
And  next  King  Bimbsara's  realm,  and  then 
The  vast  flat  world,  with  crores  on  crores'  of  folk." 
"  Good,"  said  Siddartha,  "  let  the  word  be  sent 
That  Channa  yoke  my  chariot — at  noon 
To-morrow  I  shall  ride  and  see  beyond." 

Whereof  they  told  the  King  :  "  Our  Lord,  thy  son. 
Wills  that  his  chariot  be  yoked  at  noon. 
That  he  may  ride  abroad  and  see  mankind." 

"Yea  !  "  spake  the  careful  King,  "  'tis  time  he  see  1 


BOOK    THE    THIRD. 

But  let  the  criers  go  about  and  bid 

My  city  deck  itself,  so  there  be  met 

No  noisome  sight ;  and  let  none  blind  or  maimed, 

None  that  is  sick  or  stricken  deep  in  years, 

No  leper,  and  no  feeble  folk  come  forth." 

Therefore  the  stones  were  swept,  and  up  and  down 

The  water-carriers  sprinkled  all  the  streets 

From  spirting  skins,'  the  housewives  scattered  fresh 

Red  powder  on  their  thresholds,  strung  new  wreaths. 

And  trimmed  the  tulsi-bush'  before  their  doors. 

The  paintings  on  the  walls  were  heightened  up 

With  liberal  brush,  the  trees  set  thick  with  flags, 

The  idols  gilded  ;  in  the  four-went  ways 

Suryadeva*  and  the  great  gods  shone 

"Mid  shrines  of  leaves  ;  so  that  the  city  seemed 

A  capital  of  some  enchanted  land. 

Also  the  criers  passed,  with  drum  and  gong, 

Proclaiming  loudly,  "  Ho  !  all  citizens. 

The  King  commands  that  there  be  seen  to-day 

No  evil  sight  :  let  no  one  blind  or  maimed. 

None  that  is  sick  or  stricken  deep  in  years, 

No  leper,  and  no  feeble  folk  go  forth. 

Let  none,  too,  burn  his  dead  nor  bring  them  out 

Till  nightfall.     Thus  Suddhodana  commands." 

So  all  was  comely  and  the  houses  trim 
Throughout  Kapilavastu,  while  tiie  Prince 
Came  forth  in  painted  car,  which  two  steers  drew,' 
Snow-white,  with  swinging  dewlaps  and  huge  humps 
Wrinkled  against  the  carved  and  lacquered  yoke. 
Goodly  it  was  to  mark  tlic  people's  joy 


46  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Greeting  their  Prince  ;  and  glad  Siddartha  waxed 
At  sight  of  all  those  liege  and  friendly  folk 
Bright-clad'"  and  laughing  as  if  life  were  good. 
"  Fair  is  the  world,"  he  said,  "  it  likes  me  well ! 
And  light  and  kind  these  men  that  are  not  kings, 
And  sweet  my  sisters  here,  who  toil  and  tend  ; 
What  have  I  done  for  these  to  make  them  thus  ? 
Why,  if  I  love  them,  should  those  children  know  ? 
I  pray  take  up  yon  pretty  Sakya  boy 
Who  flung  us  flowers,  and  let  him  ride  with  me. 
How  good  it  is  to  reign  in  realms  like  this  ! 
How  simple  pleasure  is,  if  these  be  pleased 
Because  I  come  abroad !     How  many  things 
I  need  not  if  such  little  households  hold 
Enough  to  make  our  city  full  of  smiles  ! 
Drive,  Channa  !  through  the  gates,  and  let  me  see 
More  of  this  gracious  world  I  have  not  known." 

So  passed  they  through  the  gates,  a  joyous  crowd 
Thronging  about  the  wheels,  whereof  some  ran 
Before  the  oxen,  throwing  wreathS;  some  stroked 
Their  silken  flanks,  some  brought  them  rice  and  cakes 
All  crying,  "  Jai !  jai !"  for  our  noble  Prince  !  " 
Thus  all  the  path  was  kept  with  gladsome  looks 
And  filled  with  fair  sights — for  the  King's  word  was 
That  such  should  be — when  midway  in  the  road, 
Slow  tottering  from  the  hovel  where  he  hid. 
Crept  forth  a  wretch  in  rags,  haggard  and  foul, 
An  old,  old  man,  whose  shriveled  skin,  sun-tanned, 
Clung  like  a  beast's  hide  to  his  fleshless  bones. 
Bent  was  his  back  with  load  of  many  days, 


BOOK    TUF.    TIIIRn. 

His  eyepits  red  with  rust  of  ancient  tears, 

His  dim  orbs  blear  with  rheum,  his  toothless  jaws 

Wagging  with  palsy  and  the  fright  to  see 

So  many  and  such  joy.     One  skinny  hand 

Clutched  a  worn  staff  to  prop  his  quavering  limbs, 

And  one  was  pressed  upon  the  ridge  of  ribs 

Whence  came  in  gasps  the  heavy  painful  breath. 

"  Alms  !"  moaned  he,  "give,  good  people  !  for  I  die 

To-morrow  or  the  next  day  !  "  then  the  cough 

Choked  him,  but  still  he  stretched  his  palm,  and  stood 

Blinking,  and  groaning  'mid  his  spasms,  "  Alms  !  " 

Then  those  around  had  wrenched  his  feeble  feet 

Aside,  and  thrust  him  from  the  road  again. 

Saying,  "  The  Prince  !  dost  see  ?  get  to  thy  lair  I  " 

But  that  Siddartha  cried,  "  Let  be  !  let  be  ! 

Channa  !  what  thing  is  this  who  seems  a  man. 

Yet  surely  only  seems,  being  so  bowed. 

So  miserable,  so  horrible,  so  sad  ? 

Are  men  bom  sometimes  thus  ?    What  meaneth  he 

Moaning  '  to-morrow  or  next  day  I  die  ? ' 

Finds  he  no  food  that  so  his  bones  jut  forth  ? 

What  woe  hath  happened  to  this  piteous  one  ?  " 

Then  answer  made  the  charioteer,  "  Sweet  Prince  ! 

This  is  no  other  than  an  aged  man. 

Some  fourscore  years  ago  his  back  was  straight. 

His  eye  bright,  and  his  body  goodly  :  now 

The  thievish  years  have  sucked  his  sap  away, 

Pillaged  his  strength  and  filched  his  will  and  wit ; 

His  lamp  has  lost  its  oil,  the  wick  burns  black  ; 

What  life  he  keeps  is  one  poor  lingering  spark 

Which  flickers  for  the  finish  :  such  is  age  ; 


48  THE    LIGHT   OF   ASIA. 

Why  should  your  Highness   heed  ? "     Then   spake   the 

Prince — 
"  But  shall  this  come  to  others,  or  to  all, 
Or  is  it  rare  that  one  should  be  as  he  ? " 
"  Most  noble,"  answered  Channa,   "  even  as  he, 
Win  all  these  grow  if  they  shall  live  so  long." 
"  But,"  quoth  the  Prince,  "  if  I  shall  live  as  long 
Shall  I  be  thus  ;  and  if  Yasbdhara 
Live  fourscore  years,  is  this  old  age  for  her, 
Jdlini,"  little  Hasta,"  Gautami," 
And  Gunga,"  and  the  others  ? "     "  Yea,  great  Sir  !  " 
The  charioteer  replied.     Then  spake  the  Prince  : 
"  Turn  back,  and  drive  me  to  my  house  again  ! 
I  have  seen  that  I  did  not  think  to  see." 

Which  pondering,  to  his  beauteous  Court  returned 
Wistful  Siddartha,  sad  of  mien  and  mood  ; 
Nor  tasted  he  the  white  cakes  nor  the  fruits 
Spread  for  the  evening  feast,  nor  once  looked  up 
While  the  best  palace-dancers  strove  to  charm  : 
Nor  spake — save  one  sad  thing — when  wofully 
Yas5dhara  sank  to  his  feet  and  wept, 
Sighing,  "  Hath  not  my  Lord  comfort  in  me  ?  " 
"  Ah,  Sweet  !  "  he  said,  "  such  comfort  that  my  soul 
Aches,  thinking  it  must  end,  for  it  will  end,'* 
And  we  shall  both  grow  old,  Yasbdhara  ! 
Loveless,  unlovely,  weak,  and  old,  and  bowed. 
Nay,  though  we  locked  up  love  and  life  -mth  lips 
So  close  that  night  and  day  our  breaths  grew  one, 
Time  would  thrust  in  between  to  filch  away 
My  passion  and  thy  grace,  as  black  Night  steals 


BOOK    THE    THIRD. 

The  rose-gleams  from  yon  peak,  which  fade  to  gray 
And  arc  not  seen  to  fade.     This  have  I  found, 
And  all  my  heart  is  darkened  with  its  dread, 
.\nd  all  my  heart  is  fixed  to  think  how  Love 
Might  save  its  sweetness  from  the  slayer,  Time, 
Who  makes  men  old."     So  tiirough  that  night  he  sate 
Sleepless,  uncomforted. 

And  all  that  night 
The  King  Suddhodana  dreamed  troublous  dreams. 
The  first  fear  of  his  vision  was  a  flag 
Broad,  glorious,  glistening  with  a  golden  sun, 
The  mark  of  Indra  ;"  but  a  strong  wind  blew, 
Rending  its  folds  divine,  and  dashing  it 
Into  the  dust ;  whereat  a  concourse  came 
Of  shadowy  Ones,  who  took  the  spoiled  silk  up 
And  bore  it  eastward  from  the  city  gates. 
The  second  fear  was  ten  huge  elephants. 
With  silver  tusks  and  feet  that  shook  the  earth, 
Trampling  the  southern  road  in  mighty  march  ; 
And  he  who  sate  upon  the  foremost  beast 
Was  the  King's  son — the  others  followed  him. 
The  third  fear  of  the  vision  was  a  car, 
Shining  with  blinding  light,  which  four  steeds  drew, 
Snorting  white  smoke  and  champing  fiery  foam  ; 
And  in  the  car  the  Prince  Siddartha  sate. 
The  fourth  fear  was  a  wheel  which  turned  and  turned, 
With  nave  of  burning  gold  and  jeweled  spokes. 
And  strange  things  written  on  the  binding  tire, 
Which  seemed  boiii  fire  and  music  as  it  whirled. 
The  fifth  fear  was  a  mighty  drum,  set  down 
Midway  between  the  city  and  the  hills. 


50 


THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 


On  which  the  Prince  beat  with  an  iron  mace, 

So  that  the  sound  pealed  Hke  a  thunder-storm, 

Rolling  around  the  sky  and  far  away. 

The  sixth  fear  was  a  tower,  which  rose  and  rose 

High  o'er  the  city  till  its  stately  head 

Shone  crowned  with  clouds,  and  on  the  top  the  Prince 

Stood,  scattering  from  both  hands,  this  way  and  that, 

Gems  of  most  lovely  light,  as  if  it  rained 

Jacinths  and  rubies  ;  and  the  whole  world  came, 

Striving  to  seize  those  treasures  as  they  fell 

Towards  the  four  quarters.     But  the  seventh  fear  was 

A  noise  of  wailing,  and  behold  six  men 

Who  wept  and  gnashed  their  teeth,  and  laid  their  palms 

Upon  their  mouths,  walking  disconsolate. 

These  seven  fears  made  the  vision  of  his  sleep. 
But  none  of  all  his  wisest  dream-readers 
Could  tell  their  meaning.     Then  the  King  was  wroth, 
Saying,  "  There  cometh  evil  to  my  house. 
And  none  of  ye  have  wit  to  help  me  know 
What  the  great  gods  portend  sending  me  this." 
So  in  the  city  men  went  sorrowful 
Because  the  King  had  dreamed  seven  signs  of  fear 
Which  none  could  read  ;  but  to  the  gate  there  came 
.\n  aged  man,  in  robe  of  deer-skin  clad. 
By  guise  a  hermit,  known  to  none  ;  he  cried, 
"  Bring  me  before  the  King,  for  I  can  read 
The  vision  of  his  sleep  ;  "  who,  when  he  heard 
The  sevenfold  mysteries  of  the  midnight  dream, 
Bowed  reverent  and  said,  "  O  Maharaj  ! 
I  hail  this  favored  House,  whence  shall  arise 


BOOK    THE    THIRD. 

A  wider-reaching  splendor  than  the  sun's  ! 

Lo  !  all  these  seven  fears  are  seven  joys, 

Whereof  the  first,  where  thou  didst  see  a  flag — 

Broad,  glorious,  gilt  with  Indrd's  badge — c^st  do^vn 

And  carried  out,  did  signify  the  end      » 

Of  old  faiths  and  beginning  of  the  new,  ' 

For  there  is  change  with  gods  not  less  than  men. 

And  as  the  days  pass  kalpas  pass  at  length. 

The  ten  great  elephants  that  shook  tlie  earth 

The  ten  great  gifts  of  wisdom  signify,'*     •' 

In  strength  whereof  the  Prince  shall  quit  his  state 

And  shake  the  world  with  passage  of  the  Truth. 

The  four  flame-breathing  horses  of  the  car 

Are  those  four  fearless  virtues"  which  shall  bring  * 

Thy  son  from  doubt  and  gloom  to  gladsome  light  ; 

The  wheel  that  turned  with  nave  of  burning  gold 

Was  that  most  precious  Wheel  of  perfect  Law  »^ 

Which  he  shall  turn  in  sight  of  all  the  world. 

The  mighty  drum  whereon  the  Prince  did  beat, 

Till  the  sound  filled  all  lands,  doth  signify 

The  thunder  of  the  preaching  of  the  Word    * 

Which  he  shall  preach  ;  the  tower  that  grew  to  heaven 

The  growing  of  the  Gospel  of  this  Buddh        ' 

Sets  forth  ;  and  those  rare  jewels  scattered  thence 

The  untold  treasures  are  of  that  good  Law     » 

To  gods  and  men  dear  and  desirable. 

Such  is  the  interpretation  of  the  tower  ; 

But  for  those  six  men  weeping  with  shut  mouths, 

They  are  the  six  chief  teachers  whom  thy  son 

Shall,  with  bright  truth  and  speech  unanswerable, 

Convince  of  foolishness.     O  King  !  rejoice  ; 

The  fortune  of  my  Lord  the  Prince  is  more 


52  THE   LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Than  kingdoms,  and  his  hermit-rags  will  be 

Beyond  fine  cloths  of  gold.     This  was  thy  dream  ! 

And  in  seven  nights  and  days  these  things  shall  fall." 

So  spake  the  holy  man,  and  lowly  made 

The  eight  prostrations,  touching  thrice  the  ground  ; 

Then  turned  and  passed  ;  but  when  the  King  bade  send 

A  rich  gift  after  him,  the  messengers 

Brought  word,  "  We  came  to  where  he  entered  in 

At  Chandra's  temple,™  but  within  was  none 

Save  a  gray  owl  which  fluttered  from  the  shrine." 

The  gods  come  sometimes  thus. 

But  the  sad  King 
Marveled,  and  gave  command  that  new  delights 
Be  compassed  to  inthrall  Siddartha's  heart 
Amid  those  dancers  of  his  pleasure-house, 
Also  he  set  at  all  the  brazen  doors 
A  doubled  guard. 

Yet  who  shall  shut  out  Fate  ? 

For  once  again  the  spirit  of  the  Prince 
Was  moved  to  see  this  world  beyond  his  gates, 
This  life  of  man,  so  pleasant  if  its  waves 
Ran  not  to  waste  and  woful  finishing 
In  Time's  dry  sands.     "  I  pray  you  let  me  view 
Our  city  as  it  is,"  such  was  his  prayer 
To  King  Suddhodana.     "  Your  Majesty 
In  tender  heed  hath  warned  the  folk  before 
To  put  away  ill  things  and  common  sights, 
And  make  their  faces  glad  to  gladden  me. 
And  all  the  causeways  gay  ;  yet  have  I  learned 
This  is  not  daily  life,  and  if  I  stand 


BOOK    THE    THIRD. 

Nearest,  my  father,  to  the  realm  and  thee, 
Fain  would  I  know  the  people  and  the  streets, 
Their  simple  usual  ways,  and  work-day  deeds, 
And  lives  which  those  men  live  who  are  not  kings, 
("live  me  good  leave,  dear  Lord  !  to  pass  unknown 
Keyond  my  happy  gardens  ;  I  shall  come 
The  more  contented  to  their  peace  again, 
Or  wiser,  father,  if  not  well  content. 
Therefore,  I  pray  thee,  let  me  go  at  will 
To-morrow,  with  my  servants,  through  the  streets." 
And  the  King  said,  among  his  Ministers, 
"  Belike  this  second  flight  may  mend  the  first. 
Note  how  the  falcon  starts  at  every  sight 
New  from  his  hood,  but  what  a  quiet  eye 
Cometh  of  freedom  ;  let  my  son  see  all. 
And  bid  them  bring  me  tidings  of  his  mind." 

Thus  on  the  morrow,  when  the  noon  was  come, 
The  Prince  and  Channa  passed  beyond  the  gates, 
Which  opened  to  the  signet  of  the  King  ; 
Yet  knew  not  they  who  rolled  the  great  doors  back 
It  was  the  King's  son  in  that  merchant's  robe," 
.■\nd  in  the  clerkly  dress"  his  charioteer. 
Forth  fared  they  by  the  common  way  afoot, 
Mingling  with  all  the  Sakya  citizens,  • 

Seeing  the  glad  and  sad  things  of  the  town  : 
The  painted  streets  alive  with  hum  of  noon, 
The  traders  cross-legged  'mid  their  spice  and  grain," 
The  buyers  with  their  money  in  the  cloth,** 
The  war  of  words  to  cheapen  this  or  that," 
The  shout  to  clear  the  road, "  the  huge  stone  wheels. 
The  strong  slow  oxen  and  their  rustling  loads, 


54  THE    LIGHT   OF    ASIA. 

The  singing  bearers  with  the  palanquins," 

The  broad-necked  hamals'®  sweating  in  the  sun, 

The  housewives  bearing  water  from  the  well 

With  balanced  chatties,  and  athwart  their  hips 

The    black-eyed    babes ;  '^   the    fly-swarmed    sweetmeat 

shops,*" 
The  weaver  at  his  loom,^'  the  cotton-bow 
Twanging,'"  the  millstones  grinding  meal,  the  dogs 
Prowling  for  orts,  the  skillful  armorer 
With  tong  and  hammer  linking  shirts  of  mail, 
The  blacksmith  with  a  mattock  and  a  spear 
Reddening  together  in  his  coals,  the  school 
Where  round  their  Gurii,  in  a  grave  half-moon, 
The  Sakya  children  sang  the  mantras  through, 
And  learned  the  greater  and  the  lesser  gods  ; " 
The  dyers  stretching  waistcloths  in  the  sun  ** 
Wet  from  the  vats — orange,  and  rose,  and  green  ; 
The  soldiers  clanking  past  with  swords  and  shields, 
The  camel-drivers  rocking  on  the  humps, 
The  Brahmin  proud,'^  the  martial  Kshatriya," 
The  humble  toiling  Sudra  ; ''  here  a  throng 
Gathered  to  watch  some  chattering  snake-tamer 
Wind  round  his  wrist  the  living  jewelry 
Of  asp  and  nag,^  or  charm  the  hooded  death 
To  a^ry  dance  with  drone  of  beaded  gourd  ; " 
There  a  long  line  of  drums  and  horns,  which  went 
_With  steeds  gay  painted  and  silk  canopies, 
To  bring  the  young  bride  home  ;  and  here  a  wife 
Stealing  with  cakes  and  garlands  to  the  god 
To  pray  her  husband's  safe  return  from  trade, 
Or  beg  a  boy  next  birth  ;"  hard  by  the  booths 


BOOK    THF.    THIRD. 

Where  the  swart  potters  heal  the  noisy  brass 
¥oT  himps  and  lotas  ;  *'  thence,  by  temple  walls 
And  gateways,  to  the  river  and  the  bridge 
Under  the  city  walls. 

These  had  they  passed 
When  from  the  roadside  moaned  a  mournful  voice, 
"  Help,  masters  !  lift  me  to  my  feet  ;  oh,  help  ! 
Or  I  shall  die  before  I  reach  my  house  !  " 
A  stricken  wretch  it  was,  whose  quivering  frame, 
Caught  by  some  deadly  plague,  lay  in  the  dust 
Writhing,  with  fiery  purple  blotches  specked  ; 
The  chill  sweat  beaded  on  his  brow,  his  mouth 
Was  dragged  awry  with  twitchings  of  sore  pain, 
The  wild  eyes  swam  with  inward  agony. 
Gasping,  he  clutched  the  grass  to  rise,  and  rose 
Half-way,  then  sank,  with  quaking  feeble  limbs 
And  scream  of  terror,  crying,  "Ah,  the  pain  ! 
Good  people,  help  !  "  whereon  Siddartha  ran. 
Lifted  the  woful  man  with  tender  hands. 
With  sweet  looks  laid  the  sick  head  on  his  knee, 
And  while  his  soft  touch  comforted  the  wretch. 
Asked,  "  Brother,  what  is  ill  with  thee?  what  harm 
Hath  fallen  ?  wherefore  canst  thou  not  arise  ? 
Why  is  it,  Channa,  that  he  pants  and  moans, 
And  gasps  to  speak  and  sighs  so  pitiful  ?  " 
Then  spake  the  charioteer  :  "  Great  Prince  !  this  man 
is  smitten  with  some  pest ;  his  elements 
Are  all  confounded  ;  in  his  veins  the  blood. 
Which  ran  a  wholesome  river,  leaps  and  boils 
.•\  fiery  flood  ;  his  heart,  which  kept  good  time. 
Beats  like  an  ill-played  drum-skin,  quick  and  slow  ; 


50  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

His  sinews  slacken  like  a  bow-string  slipped  ; 

The  strength  is  gone  from  ham,  and  loin,  and  neck, 

And  all  the  grace  and  joy  of  manhood  fled  : 

This  is  a  sick  man  with  the  fit  upon  him. 

See  how  he  plucks  and  plucks  to  seize  his  grief, 

And  rolls  his  bloodshot  orbs,  and  grinds  his  teeth, 

And  draws  his  breath  as  if  'twere  choking  smoke. 

Lo  !  now  he  would  be  dead,  but  shall  not  die 

Until  the  plague  hath  had  its  work  in  him. 

Killing  the  nerves  which  die  before  the  life  ; 

Then,  when  his  strings  have  cracked  with  agony 

And  all  his  bones  are  empty  of  the  sense 

To  ache,  the  plague  will  quit  and  light  elsewhere. 

Oh,  sir  !  it  is  not  good  to  hold  him  so  ! 

The  harm  may  pass,  and  strike  thee,  even  thee." 

But  spake  the  Prince,  still  comforting  the  man, 

"  And  are  there  others,  are  there  many  thus  ? 

Or  might  it  be  to  me  as  now  with  him  ?" 

"  Great  Lord  !  "  answered  the  charioteer,  "  this  comes 

In  many  forms  to  all  men  ;   griefs  and  wounds. 

Sickness  and  tetters,  palsies,  leprosies. 

Hot  fevers,  watery  wastings,  issues,  blains 

Befall  all  flesh  and  enter  everywhere." 

"  Come  such  ills  unobserved  ?"  the  Prince  inquired. 

And  Channa  said,  "  Like  the  sly  snake  they  come 

That  stings  unseen  ;  like  the  striped  murderer," 

Who  waits  to  spring  from  the  Karunda  bush,"*^-^ 

Hiding  beside  the  jungle  path  ;  or  like  / 

The  lightning,  striking  these  and  sparing  those. 

As  chance  may  send." 

,  "  Then  all  men  live  in  fear  ?  " 


BOOK    THE    THIRD.  57 

"  So  live  they,  Prince  !  " 

"  And  none  can  say,  '  I  sleep 
Happy  and  whole  to-night,  and  so  shall  wake  ? '  " 
None  say  it." 

"  And  the  end  of  many  aches, 
Which  come  unseen,  and  will  come  when  they  come, 
Is  this,  a  broker,  body  and  sad  mind, 
And  so  old  age  ?  " 

"  Yea,  if  men  last  as  long." 
"  But  if  they  cannot  bear  their  agonies. 
Or  if  they  will  not  bear,  and  seek  a  term  ; 
Or  if  they  bear,  and  be,  as  this  man  is. 
Too  weak  except  for  groans,  and  so  still  live. 
And  growing  old,  grow  older,  then  what  end  ? " 
"  They  die,  Prince." 

"  Die  ?  " 

"  Yea,  at  the  last  comes  death, 
In  whatsoever  way,  whatever  hour. 
Some  few  grow  old,  most  suffer  and  fall  sick. 
But  all  must  die — behold,  where  comes  the  Dead  !" 

Then  did  Siddartha  raise  his  eyes,  and  see 

Fast  pacing  towards  the  river  brink  a  band 

Of  wailing  people,  foremost  one  who  swung 

An  earthen  bowl  with  lighted  coals,"  behind 

The  kinsmen  sliorn,"  with  mourning  marks,  ungirt, 

Crying  aloud,  "  O  Rama,"  Rama,  hear  ! 

Call  upon  Rama,  brothers  ;  "  next  the  bier, 

Knit  of  four  poles  with  bamboos  interlaced, 

Whereon  lay,  stark  and  stiff,  feet  foremost,  lean, 

Chapfallen,  sightless,  hollow-flanked,  a-grin. 


S8  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Sprinkled  with  red  and  yellow  dust — the  Dead, 
Whom  at  the  four-went  ways  they  turned  head  first, 
And  crying  "  Rama,  Rama  !  "  carried  on 
To  where  a  pile  was  reared  beside  the  stream  ;" 
Thereon  they  laid  him,  building  fuel  up — 
Good  sleep  hath  one  that  slumbers  on  that  bed  ! 
He  shall  not  wake  for  cold  albeit  he  lies 
Naked  to  all  the  airs — for  soon  they  set 
The  red  flame  to  the  corners  four,  which  crept, 
And  licked,  and  flickered,  finding  out  his  flesh 
And  feeding  on  it  with  swift  hissing  tongues. 
And  crackle  of  parched  skin,  and  snap  of  joint  ; 
Till  the  fat  smoke  thinned  and  the  ashes  sank 
Scarlet  and  gray,  with  here  and  there  a  bone 
Wiiite  midst  the  gray — the  total  of  the  man. 

Then  spake  the  Prince  :  "Is  this  the  end  which  comes 
To  all  who  live  ?  " 

"  This  is  the  end  that  comes 
To  all,"  quoth  Channa  ;  "he  upon  the  pyre — 
Wiiose  remnants  are  so  petty  that  the  crows 
Caw  hungrily,  then  quit  the  fruitless  feast — 
Ate,  drank,  laughed,  loved,  and  lived,  and  liked  life  well. 
Then  came — who  knows  ? — some  gust  of  jungle  wind. 
A  stumble  on  the  path,  a  taint  in  the  tank, 
A  snake's  nip,  half  a  span  of  angry  steel, 
A  chill,  a  fishbone,  or  a  falling  tile. 
And  life  was  over  and  the  man  is  dead  ; 
No  appetites,  no  pleasures,  and  no  pains 
Hath  such  ;  the  kiss  upon  his  lips  is  nought. 
The  fire-scorch  nouglit  ;  he  smelleth  not  his  flesh 


BOOK    TWE    THIRD. 


A-roast,  nor  yet  the  sandal  and  the  spice 

They  burn  ;  the  taste  is  emptied  from  his  mouth, 

The  hearing  of  his  ears  is  clogged,  the  sight 

Is  blinded  in  his  eyes  ;  those  whom  he  loved 

Wail  desolate,  for  even  that  must  go, 

The  body,  which  was  lamp  unto  the  life. 

Or  worms  will  have  a  horrid  feast  of  it. 

Here  is  the  common  destiny  of  flesh  : 

The  high  and  low,  the  good  and  bad,  must  die, 

And  then,  'tis  taught,  begin  anew  and  live 

Somewhere,  somehow,— who  knows?— and  so  again 

The  pangs,  the  parting,  and  the  lighted  pile  :— 

Such  is  man's  round."  ** 

But  lo  !  Siddartha  lurnc. 
Eyes  gleaminR  with  divine  tears  to  the  sky, 
Eyes  lit  with  heavenly  pity  to  the  earth  ; 
From  sky  to  earth  he  looked,  from  earth  to  sky. 
As  if  his  spirit  sought  in  lonely  flight 
Some  far-off  vision,  linking  this  and  that, 
Lost— past— but  searchable,  but  seen,  but  known. 
Then  cried  he,  while  his  lifted  countenance 
Glowed  with  the  burning  passion  of  a  love 
Unspeakable,  the  ardor  of  a  hope 
Boundless,  insatiate  :  "  Oh  !  suffering  world. 
Oh  !  known  and  unknown  of  my  common  flesh. 
Caught  in  this  common  net  of  death  and  woe. 
And  life  which  binds  to  both  !  I  see,  I  feel 
The  vastness  of  the  agony  of  earth, 
The  vainness  of  its  joys,  the  mockery 
Of  all  its  best,  the  anguish  of  its  worst  ; 
Since  pleasures  end  in  pain,  and  youth  in  age. 


6o  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

And  love  in  loss,  and  life  in  hateful  death, 
And  death  in  unknown  lives,  which  will  but  yoke 
Men  to  their  wheel  again  to  whirl  the  round 
Of  false  delights  and  woes  that  are  not  false. 
Me  too  this  lure  hath  cheated,  so  it  seemed 
Lovely  to  live,  and  life  a  sunlit  stream 
Forever  flowing  in  a  changeless  peace  ; 
Whereas  the  foolish  ripple  of  the  flood 
Dances  so  lightly  down  by  bloom  and  lawn 
Only  to  pour  its  crystal  quicklier 
Into  the  foul  salt  sea.     The  veil  is  rent 
Which  blinded  me  !     I  am  as  all  these  men 
Who  cry  upon  their  gods  and  are  not  heard 
Or  are  not  heeded — yet  there  must  be  aid ! 
For  them  and  me  and  all  there  must  be  help  ' 
Perchance  the  gods  have  need  of  help  themselves 
Being  so  feeble  that  when  sad  lips  cry 
They  cannot  save  !     I  would  not  let  one  cry 
Whom  I  could  save  !     How  can  it  be  that  Brahm  *- 
Would  make  a  world  and  keep  it  miserable, 
Since,  if  all-powerful,  he  leaves  it  so. 
He  is  not  good,  and  if  not  powerful, 
.  He  is  not  God  ? — Channa  !  lead  home  again  ! 
It  is  enough  !  mine  eyes  have  seen  enough  !  " 

AVhich  when  the  King  heard,  at  the  gates  he  set 
A  triple  guard,  and  bade  no  man  should  pass 
■  By  day  or  night,  issuing  or  entering  in. 
Until  the  days  were  numbered  of  that  dream. 


Book  i\)e  fonrti). 


But  when  the  days  were  numbered,  then  befell 
The  parting  of  our  Lord — which  was  to  be — 
Whereby  came  wailing  in  the  Golden  Home, 
Woe  to  the  King  and  sorrow  o'er  the  land, 
But  for  all  flesh  deliverance,  and  that  Law 
Which — whoso  hears — the  same  shall  make  him  free. 

Softly  the  Indian  night  sinks  on  the  plains 
At  full  moon  in  the  month  of  Chaitra  shud,' 
When  mangoes  redden  and  the  asoka  buds' 
Sweeten  the  breeze,  and  Rama's  birthday  comes,' 
And  all  the  fields  are  glad  and  all  the  towns. 
Softly  that  night  fell  over  Vishramvan, 
Fragrant  with  blooms  and  jeweled  thick  with  stars. 
And  cool  with  mountain  airs  sighing  adown 
From  snow-flats  on  Himala  high-outspread  ; 
For  the  moon  swung  above  the  eastern  peaks, 
Climbing  the  spangled  vault,  and  lighting  clear 
Rohini's  ripples  and  the  hills  and  plains. 
And  all  the  sleeping  land,  and  near  at  hand 
Silvering  those  roof-tops  of  the  pleasure-house, 
Where  nothing  stirred  nor  sign  of  watching  was, 
Save  at  the  outer  gates  whose  warders  cried 
61 


62  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Mudra*  the  watchword,  and  the  countersign 
Angana,^  and  the  watch-drums  beat  a  round  ; 
Whereat  the  earth  lay  still,  except  for  call 
Of  prowling  jackals,  and  the  ceaseless 'trill 
Of  crickets  on  the  garden  grounds. 

Within— 
Where  the  moon  glittered  through  the  lace-worked  stone, 
Lighting  the  walls  of  pearl-shell  and  the  floors 
Paved  with  veined  marble — softly  fell  her  beams 
On  such  rare  company  of  Indian  girls, 
It  seemed  some  chamber  sweet  in  Paradise 
Where  Devas'  rested.     All  the  chosen  ones 
Of  Prince  Siddartha's  pleasure-home  were  there, 
The  brightest  and  most  faithful  of  the  Court, 
Each  form  so  lovely  in  the  peace  of  sleep, 
That  you  had  said  "  This  is  the  pearl  of  alii  "; 
Save  that  beside  her  or  beyond  her  lay 
Fairer  and  fairer,  till  the  pleasured  gaze 
Roamed  o'er  that  feast  of  beauty  as  it  roams 
From  gem  to  gem  in  some  great  goldsmith- work, 
Caught  by  each  color  till  the  next  is  seen. 
With  careless  grace  they  lay,  their  soft  brown  limbs 
Part  hidden,  part  revealed  ;  their  glossy  hair 
Bound  beck  with  gold  or  flowers,  or  flowing  loose 
In  black  waves  down  the  shapely  nape  and  neck. 
Lulled  into  pleasant  dreams  by  happy  toils, 
They  slept,  no  wearier  than  jeweled  birds 
Which  sing  and  love  all  day,  then  under  wing 
Fold  head  till  morn  bids  sing  and  love  again. 
Lamps  of  chased  silver  swinging  from  the  roof 


BOOK    THE    FOURTH. 

In  silver  chains,  and  fed  with  perfumed  oils, 
Made  with  the  moonbeams  tender  lights  and  shades, 
Whereby  were  seen  the  perfect  lines  of  grace. 
The  bosom's  placid  heave,  the  soft  stained  palms 
Drooping  or  clasped,  the  faces  fair  and  dark, 
The  great  arched  brows,  the  parted  lips,  the  teeth 
Like  pearls  a  merchant  picks  to  make  a  string. 
The  satin-lidded  eyes,  with  lashes  dropped 
Sweeping  the  delicate  cheeks,  the  rounded  wrists, 
The  smooth  small  feet  with  bells  and  bangles  decked. 
Tinkling  low  music  where  some  sleeper  moved, 
Breaking  her  smiling  dream  of  some  new  dance 
Praised  by  the  Prince,  some  magic  ring  to  find. 
Some  fairy  love-gift.     Here  one  lay  full-length. 
Her  vina  by  her  cheek,  and  in  its  strings 
The  little  fingers  still  all  interlaced 
As  when  the  last  notes  of  her  light  song  played 
Those  radiant  eyes  to  sleep  and  sealed  her  own. 
Another  slumbered  folding  in  her  arms 
A  desert-antelope,  its  slender  head 
Buried  with  back-sloped  horns  between  her  breasts. 
Soft  nestling  ;  it  was  eating — when  both  drowsed — 
Red  roses,  and  her  loosening  hand  still  held 
A  rose  half-mumbled,  while  a  rose-leaf  curled 
Between  the  deer's  lips.     Here  two  friends  had  dozed 
Together,  weaving  mogra-buds,  which  bound 
Their  sister-sweetness  in  a  starry  chain, 
Linking  them  limb  to  limb  and  heart  to  heart 
One  pillowed  on  the  blossoms,  one  on  her. 
.\nother,  ere  she  slept,  was  stringing  stones 
To  make  a  necklet — agate,  onyx,  sard, 


64  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Coral,  and  moonstone — round  her  wrist  it  gleamed 
A  coil  of  splendid  color,  while  she  held, 
Unthreaded  yet,  the  bead  to  close  it  up. 
Green  turkis,  carved  with  golden  gods  and  scripts. 
Lulled  by  the  cadence  of  the  garden  stream, 
Thus  lay  they  on  the  clustered  carpets,  each 
A  girlish  rose  with  shut  leaves,  waiting  dawn 
To  open  and  make  daylight  beautiful. 
This  was  the  antechamber  of  the  Prince  ; 
But  at  the  purdah's  fringe  the  sweetest  slept — 
Gunga  and  Gotama — chief  ministers 
In  that  still  house  of  love. 

The  purddh  hung, 
Crimson  and  blue,  with  broidered  threads  of  gold, 
Across  a  portal  carved  in  sandal-wood. 
Whence  by  three  steps  the  way  was  to  the  bower 
Of  inmost  splendor,  and  the  marriage-couch 
Set  on  a  dais  soft  with  silver  cloths, 
Where  the  foot  fell  as  though  it  trod  on  piles 
Of  neem-blocms.     All  the  walls  were  plates  of  pearl, 
Cut  shapely  from  the  shells  of  Lanka's'  wave  ; 
And  o'er  the  alabaster  roof  there  ran 
Rich  inlayings  of  lotus  and  of  bird, 
Wrought  in  skilled  work  of  lazulite  and  jade, 
Jacinth  and  jasper  ;  woven  round  the  dome, 
And  down  the  sides,  and  all  about  the  frames 
Wherein  were  set  the  fretted  lattices, 
Through  which  there  breathed,  with  moonlight  and  cool 

airs. 
Scents  from  the  shell-flowers  and  the  jasmine  sprays  ; 
Not  bringing  thither  grace  or  tenderness 


BOOK    THE   FOURTH. 

Sweeter  than  shed  from  those  fair  presences 
Within  the  place — the  beauteous  Sdkya  Prince, 
And  hers,  the  stately,  bright  Yas5dhara. 

Half  risen  from  her  soft  nest  at  his  side, 
The  chuddah'  fallen  to  her  waist,  her  brow 
Laid  in  both  palms,  the  lovely  Princess  leaned 
With  heaving  bosom  and  fast  falling  tears. 
Thrice  with  her  lips  she  touched  Siddartha's  hand, 
And  at  the  third  kiss  moaned,  "  Awake,  my  Lord  ! 
Give  me  the  comfort  of  thy  speech  !  "     Tiien  he — 
"  What  is  it  with  thee,  O  my  life  ? "  but  still 
She  moaned  anew  before  the  word^  would  come  ; 
Then  spake,  "  Alas,  my  Prince  !  I  sank  to  sleep 
Most  happy,  for  the  babe  I  bear  of  thee 
Quickened  this  eve,  and  at  my  heart  there  beat 
That  double  pulse  of  life  and  joy  and  love 
Whose  happy  music  lulled  me,  but — aho  ! — 
In  slumber  I  beheld  three  sights  n(  HrpnH, 
With  thought  whereof  my  heart  is  throbbing  yet. 
I  saw  a  white  Imll  with  wifl,»  l^fiinching  horoSy 
A  lord  of  pastures,  pacing  through  the  streets. 
Bearing  u^onhis  front  a  gem  which  shone 
As  if  some  star  had  dropped  to  glitter  there, 
Or  like  the  kantha-stone'  the  great  Snake  keeps 
To  make  bright  daylight  underneath  the  earth. 
Slow  through  the  streets  towards  the  gates  he  paced. 
And  none  could  stay  him,  though  there  came  a  voice 
From  Indrd's  temple,  '  If  ye  stay  him  not, 
The  glory  of  the  city  goeth  forth.' 
Yet  none  could  stay  him.     Then  I  wept  aloud, 
8 


66  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

And  locked  my  arms  about  his  neck,  and  strove, 

And  bade  them  bar  the  gates  ;  but  that  ox-king 

Bellowed,  and,  lightly  tossing  free  his  crest, 

Broke  from  my  clasp,  and  bursting  through  the  bars. 

Trampled  the  warders  down  and  passed  away. 

The  next  strange  dream  was  this  :  Four  Presences 

Splendid,  with  shining  eyes,  so  beautiful 

They  seemed  the  Regents  of  the  Earth  who  dwell 

On  Mount  Sumeru,  lighting  from  the  sky 

With  retinue  of  countless  heavenly  ones, 

Swift  swept  unto  our  city,  where  I  saw 

The  golden  flag  of  Indri  on  the  gate 

Flutter  and  fall  ;  and  la  !  there  rose  instead 

A  glorious  banner,  all  the  folds  whereof 

Rippled  with  flashing  fire  of  rubies  sewn 

Thick  on  the  silver  threads,  the  rays  wherefrom 

Set  forth  new  words  and  weighty  sentences 

Whose  message  made  all  living  creatures  glad  ; 

And  from  the  east  the  wind  of  sunrise  blew 

With  tender  waft,  opening  those  jeweled  scrolls 

So  that  all  flesh  might  read  ;  and  wondrous  blooms — 

Plucked  in  what  clime  I  know  not — fell  in  showers. 

Colored  as  none  are  colored  in  our  groves." 

Then  spake  the  Prince  :  "  All  this,  my  Lotus-flower 
Was  good  to  see." 

"  Ay,  I.ord,"  the  Princess  said, 
"Save  that  it  ended  with  a  voice  of  fear 
Crying,  '  The  time  is  nigh  !  the  time  is  nigh  ! ' 
Thereat  the  third  dream  came  ;  for  when  I  sought 
Thy  side,  sweet  Lord  !  all,  on  our  bed  there  lay 


BOOK    THE    FOURTH 

An  unpressed  pillow  and  an  empty  rof 
Nothing  of  thee  but  those  ! — nothing  of  thee. 
Who  art  my  life  and  light,  my  king,  my  world  ! 
And  sleeping  still  I  rose,  and  sleeping  saw 
Thy  belt  of  pearls,-  tied  here  below  my  breasts, 
Change  to  a  stinging  snake  ;  my  ankle-rings 
Fall  off,  my  golden  bangles  part  and  fall  • 
The  jasmines  in  my  hair  wither  to  dust  ; 
Wiiile  this  our  bridal-couch  sank  to  the  ground, 
And  something  rent  the  crimson  purdah  down  ; 
Then  far  away  I  heard  the  white  bull  low. 
And  far  away  the  embroidered  banner  flap, 
And  once  again  that  cry, '  The  time  is  come  ! ' 
But  with  that  cry — which  shakes  my  spirit  still — 
I  woke  !     O  Prince  !  what  may  such  visions  mean 
Except  I  die,  or — worse  than  any  death — 
Thou  shouldst  forsake  me  or  be  taken  ?  " 

Sweet 
As  the  last  smile  of  sunset  was  the  look 
Siddartha  bent  upon  his  weeping  wife. 
"  Comfort  thee,  dear  !  "  he  said,  "  if  comfort  lives 
In  changeless  love  ;  for  though  thy  dreams  may  be 
Shadows  of  things  to  come,  and  though  the  gods 
Are  shaken  in  their  seats,  and  though  the  world 
Stands  nigh,  perchance,  to  know  some  way  of  help, 
Yet,  whatsoever  fall  to  thee  and  me, 
Be  sure  I  loved  and  love  Yas6dhara. 
Thou  knowest  how  I  muse  these  many  moons, 
Seeking  to  save  the  sad  earth  I  have  seen  ; 
And  when  the  time  comes,  that  which  will  be  will 
But  if  my  rioul  yearns  sore  for  souls  unknown. 


68  THE   LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

And  if  I  grieve  for  griefs  which  are  not  mine, 

Judge  how  my  high-winged  thoughts  must  hover  here 

O'er  all  these  lives  that  share  and  sweeten  mine — 

So  dear  !  and  thine  the  dearest,  gentlest,  best. 

And  nearest.     Ah,  thou  mother  of  my  babe  ! 

Whose  body  mixed  with  mine  for  this  fair  hope, 

When  most  my  spirit  wanders,  ranging  round 

The  lands  and  seas — as  full  of  ruth  for  men 

As  the  far-flying  dove  is  full  of  ruth 

For  her  twin  nestlings — ever  it  has  come 

Home  with  glad  wing  and  passionate  plumes  to  thee. 

Who  art  the  sweetness  of  my  kind  best  seen, 

The  utmost  of  their  good,  the  tenderest 

Of  all  their  tenderness,  mine  most  of  all. 

Therefore,  whatever  after  this  betide. 

Bethink  thee  of  that  lordly  bull  which   owed, 

That  jeweled  banner  in  thy  dream  which  waved 

Its  folds  departing,  and  of  this  be  sure. 

Always  I  loved  and  always  love  thee  well. 

And  what  I  sought  for  all  sought  most  for  thee. 

But  thou,  take  comfort  ;  and,  if  sorrow  falls. 

Take  comfort  still  in  deeming  there  may  be 

A  way  of  peace  on  earth  by  woes  of  ours  ; 

And  have  with  this  embrace  what  faithful  love 

Can  think  of  thanks  or  frame  for  benison — 

Too  little,  seeing  love's  strong  self  is  weak — 

Yet  kiss  me  on  the  mouth,  and  drink  these  words 

From  heart  to  heart  therewith,  that  thou  mayst  know- 

What  others  will  not — that  I  loved  thee  most 

Because  I  loved  so  well  all  living  souls. 

Now.  Princess  !  rest,  for  I  will  rise  and  watch." 


BOOK    THE    FOURTH.  69 

Then  in  her  tears  she  slept,  but  sleeping  sighed — 
As  if  that  vision  passed  again — "  The  time  ! 
The  time  is  come  !  "     Wliercat  Siddartha  turned, 
And,  lo  !  the  moon  shone  by  the  Crab  !  the  stars 
In  that  same  silver  order  long  foretold 
Stood  ranged  to  say,  "  This  is  the  niglit  ! — choose  thou 
The  way  of  greatness  or  the  way  of  good  : 
To  reign  a  King  of  kings,  or  wander  lone, 
iCrownless  and  homeless,  that  the  world  be  helped." 
Moreover,  with  the  whispers  of  the  gloom 
Came  to  his  ears  again  that  warning  song. 
As  when  the  Devas  spoke  upon  the  wind  : 
And  surely  Gods  were  round  about  the  place 
Watching  our  Lord,  who  watched  the  shining  stars. 

"  I  will  depart,"  he  spake  ;  "  the  hour  is  come  ! 
Thy  tender  lips,  dear  sleeper,  summon  me 
To  that  which  saves  the  ea-rth  but  sunders  us  ; 
.\nd  in  the  silence  of  yon  sky  I  read 
.My  fated  message  flashing.     Unto  this 
("ame  I,  and  unto  this  all  nights  and  days 
Have  led  me  ;  for  I  will  not  have  that  crown 
Which  may  be  mine  :  I  lay  aside  those  realms 
Which  wait  the  gleaming  of  my  naked  sword  : 
My  chariot  shall  not  roll  with  bloody  wheels 
From  victory  to  victory,  till  earth 
Wears  the  red  record  of  my  name.     I  choose  *  */ 
To  tread  its  paths  with  patient,  stainless  feet, 
Making  its  dust  my  bed,  its  loneliest  wastes 
My  dwelling,  "and  its  meanest  things  my  mates  : 
Clad  in  no  prouder  garb  than  outcasts  wear,    . 


70  THE   LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Fed  with  no  meats  save  what  the  charitable 
Give  of  their  will,  sheltered  by  no  more  pomp 
Than  the  dim  cave  lends  or  the  jungle-bush. 
This  will  I  do  because  the  woful  cry 
Of  life  and  all  flesh  living  cometh  up 
Into  my  ears,  and  all  my  soul  is  full 
Of  pity  for  the  sickness  of  this  world  ; 
)  Which  I  will  heal,  if  healing  may  be  found 
I  By  uttermost  renouncing  and  strong  strife. 
For  which  of  all  the  great  and  lesser  Gods 
Have  power  or  pity  ?     Who  hath  seen  them — who  ? 
What  have  they  wrought  to  help  their  worshipers  ? 
How  hath  it  steaded  man  to  pray,  and  pay 
Tithes  of  the  corn  and  oil,  to  chant  the  charms, 
To  slay  the  shrieking  sacrifice,  to  rear 
The  stately  fane,  to  feed  the  priests,  and  call 
On  Vishnu,'"  Shiva,"  Surya,"  who  save 
None — not  the  worthiest — from  the  griefs  that  teach 
Those  litanies  of  flattery  and  fear 
Ascending  day  by  day,  like  wasted  smoke  ? 
Hath  any  of  my  brothers  'scaped  thereby 
The  aches  of  life,  the  stings  of  love  and  loss, 
The  fiery  fever  and  the  ague-shake. 
The  slow,  dull  sinking  into  withered  age, 
The  horrible  dark  death — and  what  beyond 
Waits — till  the  whirling  wheel  comes  up  again. 
And  new  lives  bring  new  sorrows  to  be  borne, 
New  generations  for  the  new  desires 
Which  have  their  end  in  the  old  mockeries  ? 
Hath  any  of  my  tender  sisters  found 
Fruit  of  the  fast  or  harvest  of  the  hymn, 


BOOK    THE    FOURTH.  71 

Oi  bought  one  pang  the  less  at  bearing-time 
For  white  curds  offered  and  trim  tulsi-leaves  ? 
Nay  ;  it  may  be  some  of  the  Gods  are  good 
And  evit  some,  but  all  in  action  weak  ; 
Both  pitiful  and  pitiless,  and  both — 
As  men  are — bound  upon  this  wheel  of  change, 
, Knowing  the  former  and  the  alter  lives. 
For  so  our  scriptures  truly  seem  to  teach. 
That — once,  and  wheresoe'cr,  and  whence  begun — 
Life  runs  its  rounds  of  living,  climbing  up 
From  mote,  and  gnat,  and  worm,  reptile,  and  fish. 
Bird  and  shagged  beast,  man,  demon,  deva,  God, 
To  clod  and  mote  again  ;  so  are  we  kin 
To  all  that  is  ;  and  thus,  if  one  might  save 
Man  from  his  curse,  the  whole  wide  world  should  share 
The  lightened  horror,  of  this  ignorance 
Whose  shadow  is  chill  fear,  and  cruelty 
Its  bitter  pastime.     Yea,  if  one  might  save  ! 
And  means  must  be  !     There  must  be  refuge  !     Men 
Perished  in  winter-winds  till  one  smote  fire 
From  flint-stones  coldly  hiding  what  they  held, 
The  red  spark  treasured  from  the  kindling  sun. 
They  gorged  on  flesh  like  wolves,  till  one  sowed  corn, 
Which  grew  a  weed,  yet  makes  the  life  of  man  ; 
They  mowed  and  babbled  till  some  tongue  struck  speech 
And  patient  fingers  framed  the  lettered  sound. 
What  good  gift  have  my  brothers,  but  it  came 
From  search  and  strife  and  loving  sacrifice  ? 
If  one,  then,  being  great  and  fortunate. 
Rich,  dowered  with  health  and  ease,  from  birth  designed 
To  rule — if  he  would  rule — a  King  of  kings  ; 


ya  THE   LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

If  one,  not  tired  with  life's  long  day  but  glad 

I'  the  freshness  of  its  morning,  one  not  cloyed 

With  love's  delicious  feasts,  but  hungry  still ; 

If  one  not  worn  and  wrinkled,  sadly  sage. 

But  joyous  in  the  glory  and  the  grace 

That  mix  with  evils  here,  and  free  to  choose 

Earth's  loveliest  at  his  will :  one  even  as  I, 

Who  ache  not,  lack  not,  grieve  not,  save  with  griefs 

Which  are  not  mine,  except  as  I  am  man  ; — 

If  such  a  one,  having  so  much  to  give, 

Gave  all,  laying  it  down  for  love  of  men, 

And  thenceforth  spent  himself  to  search  for  truth, 

Wringing  the  secret  of  deliverance  forth. 

Whether  it  lurk  in  hells  or  hide  in  heavens. 

Or  hover,  unrevealed,  nigh  unto  all : 

Surely  at  last,  far  off,  sometime,  somewhere. 

The  veil  would  lift  for  his  deep-searching  eyes, 

The  road  would  open  for  his  painful  feet. 

That  should  be  won  for  which  he  lost  the  world. 

And  Death  might  find  him  conqueror  of  death. 

ifThis  will  I  do,  who  have  a  realm  to  lose, 

Kecause  I  love  my  realm,,  because  my  heart 

P?eats  with  each  throb  of  all  the  hearts  that  ache. 

Known  and  unknown,  these  that  are  mine  and  those 

Which  shall  be  mine,  a  thousand  million  more 

Saved  by  this  sacrifice  I  offer  now. 

Oh,  summoning  stars  !  I  come  !     Oh,  mournful  ear:; 

For  thee  and  thine  I  lay  aside  my  youth, 

My  tlirone,  my  joys,  my  golden  days,  my  nights. 

My  happy  palace — and  thine  arms,  sweet  Queen ! 

Harder  to  put  aside  than  all  the  rest  ! 


BOOK    THEN^gjWgy.'' 

Yet  thee,  too,  I  shall  save,  saving  this  earth  ; 

And  that  which  stirs  within  thy  tender  womb, 

My  child,  the  hidden  blossom  of  our  loves, 

Whom  if  I  wait  to  bless  my  mind  williail. 

Wife  !  child  !  father  !  and  people  !  ye  must  share 

A  little  while  the  anguish  of  this  hour  ' 

That  light  may  break  and  all  flesh  learn  the  Law.   \ 

Now  am  I  fixed,  and  now  I  will  depart. 

Never  to  come  again  till  wliat  I  seek 

He  found — if  fervent  search  and  strife  avail." 

So  with  his  brow  he  touched  her  feet,  and  bent 
The  farewell  of  fond  eyes,  unutterable, 
Upon  her  sleeping  face,"  still  wet  with  tears  ; 
And  thrice  around  the  bed  in  reverence, 
As  though  it  were  an  altar,  softly  stepped 
With  clasped  hands  laid  upon  his  beating  heart, 
"  For  never,"  spake  he,  "  lie  I  there  again  !  " 
And  thrice  he  made  to  go,  but  thrice  came  back. 
So  strong  her  beauty  was,  so  large  his  love  : 
Then,  o'er  his  head  drawing  his  cloth,  he  turned 
And  raised  the  purdah's  edge  : 

There  drooped,  close-lun 
In  such  sealed  sleep  as  water-lilies  know. 
The  lovely  garden  of  his  Indian  girls  ; 
That  twin  dark-petaled  lotus-buds  of  all — 
Gunga  and  Gautami — on  either  side, 
And  those,  their  silk-leaved  sisterhood,  beyond. 

I'leasant  ye  are  to  me,  sweet  friends  !  "  he  said, 
■  And  dear  to  leave  ;  yet  if  I  leave  ye  not 
What  else  will  come  to  all  of  us  save  eld 


74  THE   LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Without  assuage  and  death  without  avail? 
Lo  !  as  ye  lie  asleep  so  must  ye  lie 
A-dead  ;  and  when  the  rose  dies  where  are  gone 
Its  scent  and  splendor  ?  when  the  lamp  is  drained 
Whither  is  fled  the  flame  ?  Press  heavy,  Night  ! 
Upon  their  down-dropped  lids  and  seal  their  lips, 
That  no  tear  stay  me  and  no  faithful  voice. 
For  all  the  brighter  that  these  made  my  life, 
The  bitterer  it  is  that  they  and  I, 
And  all,  should  live  as  trees  do — so  much  spring. 
Such  and  such  rains  and  frosts,  such  winter-times, 
And  then  dead  leaves,  with  may  be  spring  again, 
Or  ax-stroke  at  the  root.     This  will  not  I, 
Whose  life  here  was  a  God's  ! — this  would  not  I, 
Though  all  my  days  were  godlike,  while  men  moan 
Under  their  darkness.     Therefore  farewell,  friends  ' 
pV'hile  life  is  good  to  give,  I  give,  and  go 
I  VTo  seek  deliverance  and  that  unknown  Light  ! " 

Then,  lightly  treading  where  those  sleepers  lay, 

Into  the  night  Siddartha  passed  :  its  eyes. 

The  watchful  stars,  looked  love  on  him  :  its  breath, 

The  wandering  wind,  kissed  his  robe's  fluttered  fringe 

The  garden-blossoms,  folded  for  the  dawn, 

Opened  their  velvet  hearts  to  waft  him  scents 

From  pink  and  purple  censers  :  o'er  the  land, 

From  Himalay  unto  the  Indian  Sea, 

A  tremor  spread,  as  if  earth's  soul  beneath 

Stirred  with  an  unknown  hope  ;  and  holy  books — 

Which  tell  the  story  of  our  Lord — say,  too, 

That  rich  celestial  musics  thrilled  the  air 


BOOK    THE.  FOURTH.  75 

From  hosts  on  hosts  of  shining  ones,  who  thronged 

Eastward  and  westward,  making  bright  the  night — 

Northward  and  southward,  making  glad  the  ground. 

Also  those  four  dread  Regents  of  the  Earth, 

Descending  at  the  doorway,  two  by  two, — 

With  their  bright  legions  of  Invisibles 

In  arms  of  sapphire,  silver,  gold,  and  pearl — 

Watched  with  joined  hands  the  Indian  Prince,  who  stood. 

His  tearful  eyes  raised  to  the  stars,  and  lips 

Close-set  with  purpose  of  prodigious  love. 

Then  strode  he  forth  into  the  gloom  and  cried, 
"  Channa,  awake  !  and  bring  out  Kantaka  !  " 

"  What  would  my  Lord  ?  "  the  charioteer  replied — 
Slow-rising  from  his  place  beside  the  gate — 
"  To  ride  at  night  when  all  the  ways  are  dark  ?  " 

"  Speak  low,"  Siddartha  said,  "  and  bring  my  horse, 
For  now  the  hour  is  come  when  I  sliould  quit 
This  golden  prison  where  my  heart  lives  caged 
To  find  the  truth  ;  which  henceforth  I  will  seek. 
For  all  men's  sake,  until  the  truth  be  found" 

"  Alas  !  dear  Prince,"  answered  the  charioteer, 
"  Spake  then  for  nought  those  wise  and  holy  men 
Who  cast  the  stars  and  bade  us  wait  the  time 
When  King  Suddh6dana's  great  son  should  rule 
Realms  upon  realms,  and  be  ^  Lord  of  lords  ? 
Wilt  thou  ride  hence  and  let  the  rich  world  slip 
Out  of  thy  grasp,  to  hold  a  beggar's  bowl  ? 


76  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Wilt  thou  go  forth  into  the  friendless  waste 
That  hast  this  Paradise  of  pleasures  here  ? " 

The  Prince  made  answer,  "  Unto  this  I  came, 
And  not  for  thrones  :  the  kingdom  that  I  crave 
Is  more  than  many  realms — and  all  things  pass 
To  change  and  death.     Bring  me  forth  Kantaka  ! 

"  Most  honored,"  spake  again  the  charioteer, 
"  Bethink  thee  of  my  Lord  thy  father's  grief  ! 
Bethink  the:;  of  their  woe  whose  bliss  thou  art — 
How  shalt  thou  help  them,  first  undoing  them  ?  " 


\w 


Siddartha  answered,  "  Friend,  that  love  is  false 
hich  clings  to  love  for  selfish  sweets  of  love  ; 
But  I,  who  love  these  more  than  joys  of  mine — 
Yea,  more  than  joy  of  theirs — depart  to  save 
Them  and  all  flesh,  ii  utmost  love  avaiL 
Go,  bring  me  Kantaka  !  " 


Then  Channa  said, 
"  Master,  I  go  !  "  and  forthwith,  mournfully, 
1  Unto  the  stall  he  passed,  and  from  the  rack 
Took  down  the  silver  bit  and  bridle-chains, 
Breast-cord  and  curb,  and  knitted  fast  the  straps, 
And  linked  the  hooks,  and  led  out  Kantaka  : 
Whom  tethering  to  the  ring,  he  combed  and  dressed, 
Stroking  the  snowy  coat  to  silken  gloss  ; 
Next  on  the  steed  he  laid  the  numdah"  square, 
Fitted  the  saddle-cloth  across,  and  set 
The  saddle  fair,  drew  tight  the  jeweled  girths 


BOOK    THE    FOURTH. 

Buckled  the  breech-bands  and  the  martingale, 
And  made  fall  both  the  stirrups  of  worked  gold. 
Then  over  all  he  cast  a  golden  net, 
With  tassels  of  seed-pearl  and  silken  strings, 
And  led  the  great  horse  to  the  palace  door, 
Where  stood  the  Prince  ;  but  when  he  saw  his  Lord, 
Right  glad  he  waxed  and  joyou:ly  he  neighed, 
Spreading  his  scarlet  nostrils  ;  and  the  books 
Write,  "  Surely  all  had  hoard  Kantaka's  neigh, 
And  that  strong  trampling  of  his  ircn  heels. 
Save  that  the  Devas  laid  their  unseen  wings 
Over  their  ears  and  kept  the  sleepers  deaf." 

Fondly  Siddartha  drew  the  proud  head  down, 
Patted  the  shining  neck,  and  said,  "  Be  still. 
White  Kantaka  !  be  still,  and  bear  me  now 
The  farthest  journey  ever  rider  rode  ; 
For  this  night  take  I  horse  to  find  the  truth, 
And  where  my  quest  will  end  yet  know  I  not. 
Save  that  it  shall  not  end  until  I  find. 
Therefore  to-night,  good  steed,  be  fierce  and  bold  ! 
Let  nothing  stay  thee,  though  a  tiiousand  blades 
Deny  the  road  !  let  neither  wall  nor  moat 
Forbid  our' flight  !     Look  !  if  I  touch  thy  flank 
And  cry,  '  On,  Kantaka  ! '  let  whirlwinds  lag 
Behind  thy  course  !     Be  fire  and  air,  my  horse  ! 
To  stead  thy  Lord,  so  shall  thou  share  with  him 
The  greatness  of  tliis  deed  wliich  helps  the  world  ; 
For  therefore  ride  I,  not  for  men  alone. 
But  for  all  things  which,  speechless,  share  our  pain 
And  have  no  hope,  nor  wit  to  ask  for  hope. 
Now,  therefore,  bear  thy  master  valorously ' " 


78  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Then  to  the  saddle  lightly  leaping,  he 
Touched  the  arched  crest,  and  Kantaka  sprang  forth 
With  armed  hoofs  sparkling  on  the  stones  and  ring 
Of  champing  bit  ;  but  none  did  hear  that  sound, 
For  that  the  Suddha  Devas,"  gathering  near. 
Plucked  the  red  niohra- flowers"  and  strewed  fhem  thick 
Under  his  tread,  while  hands  invisible 
Muffled  the  ringing  bit  and  bridle-chains. 
Moreover,  it  is  written  when  they  cane 
Upon  the  pavement  near  the  inner  gates. 
The  Yakshas  of  the  air  laid  magic  cloths 
Under  the  stallion's  feet,  so  that  he  went 
Softly  and  still. 

But  when  they  reached  the  gate" 
Of  tripled  brass — which  hardly  fivescore  men 
Served  to  unbar  and  open — lo  1  the  doors 
\Rolled  back  all  silently,  though  one  might  hear 
>  B  daytime  two  kos  off  the  thunderous  roar 
Of  those  grim  hinges  and  unwieldy  plates. 

^ifso  the  middle  and  the  outer  gates 
Unfolded  each  their  monstrous  portals  thus 
In  silence  as  Siddartha  and  his  steed 
Drew  near  ;  while  underneath  their  shadow  lay, 
Silent  as  dead  men,  all  those  chosen  guards — 
The  lance  and  sword  let  fall,  the  shields  unbraced, 
*-"aptains  and  soldiers — for  there  came  a  wind, 
Urowsier  than  blows  o'er  Mahva's'*  fields  of  sleep, 
riefore  the  Prince's  path,  which,  being  breathed, 
Lulled  every  sense  aswoon  :  and  so  he  passed 
Free  from  the  palace. 


BOOK    THK    FOl'RTH. 

When  the  morning  star 
Stood  half  a  spear's  length  from  the  eastern  rim, 
And  o'er  the  earth  the  breath  of  morning  sighed 
Rippling  Anoma's  wave,"  the  border-stream, 
Tlien  drew  he  rein,  and  leaped  to  earth  and  kissed 
White  Kantaka  betwixt  the  ears,  and  spake 
lull  sweet  to  Channa:*"  "Tliis  which  thou  hast  done 
Shall  bring  thee  good  and  bring  all  creatures  good. 
I'.o  sure  I  love  thee  always  for  thy  love. 
Lead  back  my  horse  and  take  my  crest-pearl  here, 
My  princely  robes,  which  henceforth  stead  me  not, 
My  jeweled  sword-belt  and  my  sword,  and  these 
riie  long  locks  by  its  bright  edge  severed  thus 
1  rom  off  my  brows.     Give  the  King  all,  and  say 
SiJdartha  prays  forget  him  till  he  come 
1  on  times  a  Prince,  with  royal  wisdom  won 
1  rom  lonely  searchings  and  the  strife  for  light ; 
A  nere,  if  I  conquer,  lo  !  al!  earth  is  mine — 
I  ine  by  chief  service  ! — tell  him — mine  by  love  ! 
--nee  there  is  hope  for  man  only  in  man, 
And  none  hath  sought  for  this  as  I  will  seek, 
vWho  cast  away  my  world  to  save  my  world." 


Book  tl)e  iTiftl). 


Round  Rdjdgriha'  five  fair  hills  arose, 

Guarding  King  Bimbsara's  sylvan  town: 

Baibhara,''  green  with  lemon-grass  and  palms; 

Bipulla,  at  whose  foot  thin  Sarsuti' 

Steals  with  warm  ripple;  shadowy  Tapovan,* 

Whose  steaming  pools  mirror  black  rocks,  which  ooze 

Sovereign  earth-butter^  from  their  rugged  roofs  ; 

South-east  the  vulture-peak  Sailagiri  ;* 

And  eastward  Ratnagiri,  hill  of  gems. 

A  winding  track,  paven  with  foot-worn  slabs. 

Leads  thee  by  safflower  fields  and  bamboo  tufts 

Under  dark  mangoes  and  the  jujube-trees,' 

Past  milk-white  veins  of  rock  and  jasper  crags, 

Low  cliff  and  flats  of  jungle-flowers,  to  where 

The  shoulder  of  that  mountain,  sloping  west, 

O'erhangs  a  cave  with  wild  figs  canopied. 

Lo  !  thou  who  comest  thither,  bare  thy  feet 

And  bow  thy  head  !  for  all  this  spacious  earth 

Hath  not  a  spot  more  dear  and  hallowed.     Here 

Lord  Buddha  sate*  the  scorching  summers  through, 

The  driving  rains,  the  chilly  dawns  and  eves  ; 

Wearing  for  all  men's  sakes  the  yellow  robe, 


t^OOK    THE    HKlHi 

Eating  in  beggar's  guise  the  scanty  meal 

Chance-gathered  from  the  charitable  ;  at  night 

Couched  on  the  grass,  liomeless,  alone  ;  while  yelped 

The  sleepless  jackals  round  his  cave,  or  coughs 

Of  famished  tiger  from  the  thicket  broke. 

By  day  and  night  here  dwelt  the  World-honored, 

Subduing  that  fair  body  born  for  bliss 

With  fast  and  frequent  watch  and  search  intense 

Of  silent  meditation,  so  prolonged 

That  ofttimes  while  he  mused — as  motionless 

As  the  fixed  rock  his  seat — the  squirrel  leaped 

Upon  his  knee,  the  timid  quail  led  forth 

Her  brood  between  his  feet,  and  blue  doves  pecked 

The  rice-grains  from  the  bowl  beside  his  hand. 

Thus  would  he  muse  from  noontide' — when  the  land 
Shimmered  with  heat,  and  walls  and  temples  danced 
In  the  reeking  air — till  sunset,  noting  not 
The  blazing  globe  roll  down,  nor  evening  glide. 
Purple  and  swift,  across  the  softened  fields  ; 
Nor  the  still  coming  of  the  stars,  nor  throb 
Of  drum-skins  in  the  busy  town,  nor  screech 
Of  owl  and  night-jar  ;  wholly  wrapt  from  self  ^ 
In  keen  unraveling  of  the  threads  of  thought  ^ 
And  steadfast  pacing  of  life's  labyrinths. 
Thus  would  he  sit  till  midnight  hushed  the  world, 
Save  where  the  beasts  of  darkness  in  the  brake 
Crept  and  cried  out,  as  fear  and  hatred  cry, 
As  lust  and  avarice  and  anger  creep 
In  the  black  jungles  of  man's  ignorance. 
Then  slept  he  for  what  space  the  fleet  moon  ask» 


83  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA, 

To  swim  a  tenth  part  of  her  cloudy  sea; 
But  rose  ere  the  False-dawn,'"  and  stood  again 
Wistful  on  some  dark  platform  of  his  hill, 
Watching  the  sleeping  earth  with  ardent  eyes 
And  thoughts  embracing  all  its  living  things, 
While  o'er  the  waving  fields  that  murmur  move 
Which  is  the  kiss  of  Morn  waking  the  lands, 
And  in  the  east  that  miracle  of  Day 
Gathered  and  grew.     At  first  a  dusk  so  dim 
Night  seems  still  unaware  of  whispered  dawn, 
But  soon — before  the  jungle-cock  crows  twice — 
A  white  verge  clear,  a  widening,  brightening  white. 
High  as  the  herald-star,  which  fades  in  floods 
Of  silver,  warming  into  pale  gold,  caught 
By  topmost  clouds,  and  flaming  on  their  rims 
To  fervent  golden  glow,  flushed  from  the  brink 
With  saffron,  scarlet,  crimson,  amethyst ; 
Whereat  the  sky  burns  splendid  to  the  blue, 
And,  robed  in  raiment  of  glad  light,  the  King 
Of  Life  and  Glory  cometh  !" 

Then  our  Lord, 
After  the  manner  of  a  Rishi,  hailed 
The  rising  orb,'"  and  went — ablutions  made — 
Down  by  the  winding  path  unto  the  town  ; 
And  in  the  fashion  of  a  Rishi  passec^ 
From  street  to  street,  with  begging-bowl  in  hand. 
Gathering  the  little  pittance  of  his  needs. 
Soon  was  it  filled,  for  all  the  townsmen  cried, 
"  Take  of  our  store,  great  sir  !  "  and  "  Take  of  ours  ! ' 
Marking  his  godlike  face  and  eyes  enwrapt ; 
And  mothers,  when  they  saw  our  Lord  go  by, 


BOOK    THE    FIFTH.  J 

Would  bid  their  children  fall  to  kiss  his  feet, 

And  lift  his  robe's  hem  to  their  brows,  or  run 

To  fill  his  jar,  and  fetch  him  milk  and  cakes. 

And  ofttimes  as  he  paced,  gentle  and  slow, 

Radiant  with  heavenly  pity,  lost  in  care 

For  those  he  knew  not,  save  as  fellow-lives, 

The  dark  surprised  eyes  of  some  Indian  maid 

Would  dwell  in  sudden  love  and  worship  deep 

On  that  majestic  form,  as  if  she  saw 

Her  dreams  of  tenderest  thought  made  true,  and  grace 

Fairer  than  mortal  fire  her  breast.     But  he 

Passed  onward  with  the  bowl  and  yellow  robe, 

By  mild  speech  paying;  all  those  gifts  of  hearts, 

Wending  his  way  back  to  the  solitudes 

To  sit  upon  his  hill  with  holy  men, 

And  hear  and  ask  of  wisdom  and  its  roads. 

Midway  on  Ratnagiri's  groves  of  calm. 
Beyond  the  city,  but  below  the  caves. 
Lodged  such  as  hold  the  body  foe  to  soul, 
And  flesh  a  beast  which  men  must  chain  and  tame 
Willi  bitter  pains,  till  sense  of  pain  is  killed, 
And  tortured  nerves  vex  torturer  no  more — 
Yogis"  and  Brahmachdris,"  Bhikshus,"  all 
A  gaunt  and  mournful  band,"  dwelling  apart. 
Some  day  and  night  had  stood  with  lifted  arms. 
Till — drained  of  blood  and  withered  by  disease — 
Their  slowly-wasting  joints  and  stiffened  limbs 
Jutted  from  sapless  shoulders  like  dead  forks 
From  forest  trunks.     Others  had  clinched  their  hands 
So  long  and  with  so  fierce  a  fortitude, 


84  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

The  claw-like  nails  grew  through  the  festered  palm. 

Some  walked  on  sandals  spiked  ;  some  with  sharp  flints 

Gashed  breast  and  brow  and  thigh,  scarred  these  with  fire, 

Threaded  their  flesh  witli  jungle  thorns  and  spits, 

Besmeared  with  mud  and  ashes,  crouching  foul 

In  rags  of  dead  men  wrapped  about  their  Igins. 

Certain  there  were  inhabited  the  spots 

Where  death-pyres  smouldered,  cowering  defiled 

With  corpses  for  their  company,  and  kites 

Screaming  around  them  o'er  the  funeral-spoils  : 

Certain  who  cried  five  hundred  times  a  day 

The  names  of  Shiva,  wound  with  darting  snakes 

About  their  sun-tanned  necks  and  hollow  flanks 

One  palsied  foot  drawn  up  against  the  ham. 

So  gathered  they,  a  grievous  company  ; 

Crowns  blistered  by  the  blazing  heat,  eyes  bleared. 

Sinews  and  muscles  shriveled,  visages 

Haggard  and  wan  as  slain  men's,  five  days  dead  ; 

Here  crouched  one  in  the  dust  who  noon  by  noon 

Meted  a  thousand  grains  of  millet  out, 

Ate  it  with  famished  patience,  seed  by  seed. 

And  so  starved  on  ;  there  one  who  bruised  his  pulse 

With  bitter  leaves  lest  palate  should  be  pleased  ; 

And  next,  a  miserable  saint  self-maimed, 

Eyeless  and  tongueless,  sexless,  crippled,  deaf ; 

The  body  by  the  mind  being  thus  stripped 

For  glory  of  much  suffering,  and  the  bliss 

Which  they  shall  win — say  holy  books — whose  woe 

Shames  gods  that  send  us  woe,  and  makes  men  gods 

Stronger  to  suffer  than  Hell  is  to  harm. 


BOOK    THE    FIFTH.  85 

Whom  sadly  eying  spake  our  Lord  to  one, 
Chief  of  the  woe-begones  :  "Much-suffering  sir! 
These  many  moons  I  dwell  upon  the  hill — 
Who  am  a  seeker  of  the  Truth — and  see 
My  brothers  here,  and  thee,  so  piteously 
Self-anguished  ;  wherefore  add  ye  ills  to  life 
Which  is  so  evil  ?  " 

Answer  made  the  sage  : 

Tis  written  if  a  man  shall  mortify 
His  flesh,  till  pain  be  grown  the  life  he  lives 
And  death  voluptuous  rest,  such  woes  shall  purge 
Sin's  dross  away,  and  the  soul,  purified, 
Soar  from  the  furnace  of  its  sorrow,  winged 
For  glorious  spheres  and  splendor  past  all  thought." 

"  Yon  cloud  which  floats  in  heaven,"  the  Prince  replied, 
"  Wreathed  like  gold  cloth  around  your  Indrd's  throne, 
Rose  thither  from  the  tempest-driven  sea  ; 
Rut  it  must  fall  again  in  tearful  drops. 
Trickling  through  rough  and  painful  water-ways 
By  cleft  and  nullah  and  the  muddy  flood, 
To  Gunga  and  the  sea,  wherefrom  it  sprang. 
Rnow'st  thou,  my  brother,  if  it  be  not  thus, 
.Vfter  their  many  pains,  with  saints  in  bliss? 
Since  that  which  rises  falls,  and  that  which  buys 
Is  spent  ;  and  if  ye  buy  heav'n  with  your  blood 
In  hell's  hard  market,  when  the  bargain's  through 
The  toil  begins  again  !  " 

"  It  may  begin," 
The  hermit  moaned.     "  Alas  !  we  know  not  this. 


86  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Nor  surely  anything  ;  yet  after  night 
I  Day  comes,  and  after  turmoil  peace,  and  we 

Hate  this  accursed  flesh  which  clogs  the  soul 
I  That  fain  would  rise  ;  so,  for  the  sake  of  soul. 

We  stake  brief  agonies  in  game  with  Gods 

To  gain  the  larger  joys." 

"  Yet  if  they  last 
A  myriad  years,"  he  said,  "  they  fade  at  length, 
Those  joys  ;  or  if  not,  is  there  then  some  life 
Below,  above,  beyond,  so  unlike  life 
It  will  not  change  ?     Speak  !  do  your  Gods  endure 
Forever,  brothers  ?  " 

"  Nay,"  tlie  Yogis  said, 
"  Only  great  Brahm  endures  :  the  Gods  but  live."" 

Then  spake  Lord  Buddha  :  "  Will  ye,  being  wise. 
As  ye  seem  holy  and  strong-hearted  ones. 
Throw  these  sore  dice,  which  are  your  groans  and  moans, 
For  gains  which  may  be  dreams,  and  must  have  end  » 
AVill  ye,  for  love  of  soul,  so  loathe  your  flesh. 
So  scourge  and  maim  it,  that  it  shall  not  serve 
To  bear  the  spirit  on,  searching  for  home, 
But  founder  on  the  track  before  nightfall, 
Like  willing  steed  o'er-spurred  ?     Will  ye,  sad  sirs 
Dismantle  and  dismember  this  fair  house. 
Where  we  have  come  to  dwell  by  painful  pasts  ;. 
Whose  windows  give  us  light — the  little  light — 
Whereby  we  gaze  abroad  to  know  if  dawn 
Will  break,  and  whither  winds  the  better  road?'" 


BOOK    THE    FIFTH. 

Then  cried  they,  "  We  hav^  chosen  this  for  road 
And  tread  it,  Rdjdputra,"  till  the  close — 
Though  all  its  stones  were  fire — in  trust  of  death. 
Speak,  if  thou  know'st  a  way  more  excellent  ; 
If  not,  peace  go  with  thee  !  " 

Onward  he  passed, 

^  Exceeding  sorrowful,  seeing  how  men 
Fear  so  to  die  they  are  afraid  to  fear, 
lust  so  to  live  they  dare  not  love  their  life, 

"Tiut  plague  it  with  fierce  penances,  belike 
To  please  the  Gods  who  grudge  pleasure  to  man  ; 
Belike  to  balk  hell  by  self-kindled  hells  : 
Belike  in  holy  madness,  hoping  soul 
May  break  the  better  through  their  wasted  flesh. 
"  Oh,  florets  of  the  field  !  "  Siddartha  said, 
"  Who  turn  your  tender  faces  to  the  sun — 
Glad  of  the  light,  and  grateful  with  sweet  breath 
Of  fragrance  and  these  robes  of  reverence  donned 
Silver  and  gold  and  purple — none  of  ye 
Miss  perfect  living,  none  of  ye  desiX)il 
Your  happy  beauty.     Oh,  ye  palms  !  which  rise 
Eager  to  pierce  the  sky  and  drink  the  wind 
Blown  from  Malaya"  and  the  cool  blue  seas. 
What  secret  know  ye  that  ye  grow  content. 
From  time  of  tender  shoot  to  time  of  fruit. 
Murmuring  such  sun-songs  from  your  feathered  crowns  . 
Ye,  too,  who  dwell  so  merry  in  the  trees — 
Quick-darting  parrots,  bee-birds,  bulbuls,  doves — 
None  of  ye  hate  your  life,  none  of  ye  deem 
To  strain  to  better  by  foregoing  needs  ! 


88  THE   LIGHT   OF   ASIA. 

But  man,  who  slays  ye — being  lord — is  wise, 
And  wisdom,  nursed  on  blood,  cometh  thus  forth 
In  self-tormentings  ! " 

While  the  Master  spake 
Blew  down  the  mount  the  dust  of  pattering  feet, 
White  goats  and  black  sheep  winding  slow  their  way, 
With  many  a  lingering  nibble  at  the  tufts. 
And  wanderings  from  the  path,  where  water  gleamed 
Or  wild  figs  hung.     But  always  as  they  strayed 
The  herdsman  cried,  or  slung  his  sling,  and  kept 
The  silly  crowd  still  moving  to  the  plain. 
A  ewe  with  couplets  in  the  flock  there  was. 
Some  hurt  had  lamed  one  lamb,  which  toiled  behind 
Bleeding,  while  in  the  front  its  fellow  skipped. 
And  the  vexed  dam  hither  and  thither  ran, 
Fearful  to  lose  this  little  one  or  that  ; 
Which  when  our  Lord  did  mark,  full  tenderly 
He  took  the  limping  lamb  upon  his  neck. 
Saying,  "  Poor  woolly  mother,  be  at  peace  ! 
Whither  thou  goest  I  will  bear  thy  care  ; 
'Twere  all  as  good  to  ease  one  beast  of  grief 
.  As  sit  and  watch  the  sorrows  of  the  world 
In  yonder  caverns  with  the  priests  who  pray." 

"  But,"  spake  he  to  the  herdsmen,  "  wherefore,  friend; 
Drive  ye  the  flocks  adown  under  high  noon. 
Since  'tis  at  evening  that  men  fold  their  sheep  ? " 

And  answer  gave  the  peasants  :  "  We  are  sent 
To  fetch  a  sacrifice  of  goats  five-score, 
And  five-score  sheep,  the  which  our  Lord  the  King 
Slayeth  this  night  in  worship  of  his  gods." 


BOOK    THE    FIFTH. 

Then  said  the  Master  :  "  I  will  also  go  !  " 
So  paced  he  patiently,  bearing  the  lamb 
Beside  the  herdsmen  in  the  dust  and  sun, 
The  wistful  ewe  low  bleating  at  his  feet. 

Whom,  when  they  came  unto  the  river-side, 
A  woman — dove-eyed,  young,  with  tearful  face 
And  lifted  hands — saluted,  bending  low  : 
"  Lord  !  thou  art  he,"  she  said,  "  who  yesterday 
Had  pity  on  me  in  the  fi^-grove  here, 
Where  I  live  lone  and  reared  my  child  ;  but  he 
Straying  amid  the  blossoms  found  a  snake. 
Which  twined  about  his  wrist,  whilst  he  did  laugh 
And  tease  the  quick  forked  tongue  and  opened  moutli 
Of  that  cold  playmate.     But,  alas  !  ere  long 
He  turned  so  pale  and  still,  I  could  not  think 
Wliy  he  should  cease  to  play,  and  let  my  breast 
Fall  from  his  lips.     And  one  said,  '  He  is  sick 
Of  poison  ; '  and  another,  '  He  will  die.' 
But  I,  who  could  not  lose  my  precious  boy, 
Prayed  of  them  physic,  which  might  bring  the  light 
Back  to  his  eyes  ;  it  was  so  very  small 
That  kiss-mark  of  the  serpent,  and  I  think 
It  could  not  hate  him,  gracious  as  he  was. 
Nor  hurt  him  in  his  sport.     And  some  one  said, 
'  There  is  a  holy  man  upon  the  hill—; 
Lo  !  now  he  passeth  in  the  yellow  robe — 
Ask  of  the  Rishi  if  there  be  a  cure 
For  that  which  ails  thy  son.'     Whereon  I  came 
Trembling  to  thee,  whose  brow  is  like  a  god's, 
.\nd  wept  and  drew  the  face-cloth  from  my  babe, 


90 


THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 


Praying  thee  tell  what  simples  might  be  good. 
And  thou,  great  sir  !  didst  spurn  me  not,  but  gaze 
With  gentle  eyes  and  touch  with  patient  hand  ; 
Then  draw  the  face-cloth  back,  saying  to  me, 
'  Yea  !  little  sister,  there  is  that  might  heal 
Thee  first,  and  him,  if  thou  couldst  fetch  the  thing  ; 
For  they  who  seek  physicians  bring  to  them 
What  is  ordained.     Therefore,  I  pray  thee,  find 
Black  mustard-seed,  a  tola  ;'°  only  mark 
Thou  take  it  not  from  any  hand  or  house 
Where  father,  mother,  child,  or  slave  hath  died  ; 
It  shall  be  well  if  thou  canst  find  such  seed.' 
Thus  didst  thou  speak,  my  Lord  !  " 

The  Master  smiled 
Exceeding  tenderly.     "  Yea  !  I  spake  thus. 
Dear  Kisagotami  !     But  didst  thou  find 
The  seed  ?  " 

"  I  went.  Lord,  clasping  to  my  breast 
The  babe,  grown  colder,  asking  at  each  hut — 
Here  in  the  jungle  and  towards  the  town — 
'  I  pray  you,  give  me  mustard,  of  your  grace, 
A  tola — black  ; '  and  each  who  had  it  gave. 
For  all  the  poor  are  piteous  to  the  poor  ; 
But  when  I  asked,  '  In  my  friend's  household  here 
Hath  any  peradventure  ever  died — 
Husband,  or  wife,  or jchild,  or  slave  ? '  they  said  : 
'  O  Sister  !  what  is  this  you  ask  ?  the  dead 
Are  very  many,  and  the  living  few  ! ' 
So  with  sad  thanks  I  gave  the  mustard  back, 
And  prayed  of  others  ;  but  the  others  said, 
'Here  is  the  seed,  but  we  have  lost  our  slave  ! ' 


BOOK    THE    FIFTH. 

'  Here  is  the  seed,  but  our  good  man  is  dead  ! ' 
'  Here  is  some  seed,  but  he  that  sowed  it  died 
Between  the  rain-time  and  the  harvesting  ! ' 
Ah,  sir  !  I  could  not  find  a  single  house 
Where  there  was  mustard-seed  and  none  had  died  I 
Therefore  I  left  my  child — who  would  not  suck 
Nor  smile — beneath  the  wild-vines  by  the  stream, 
To  seek  thy  face  and  kiss  thy  feet,  and  pray 
Where  I  might  find  this  seed  and  find  no  death, 
If  now,  indeed,  my  baby  be  not  dead. 
As  I  do  fear,  and  as  they  said  to  me." 

"  My  sister  !  thou  hast  found,"  the  Master  said, 
"  Searching  for  what  none  finds — that  bitter  balm 
I  had  to  give  thee.     He  thou  lovedst  slept 
Dead  on  thy  bosom  yesterday  :  to-day 
Thou  know'st  the  whole  wide  world  weeps  with  thy  w 
\The  grief  which  all  hearts  share  grows  less  for  one.    \ 
I.o  !  I  would  pour  my  blood  if  it  could  stay 
Thy  tears  and  win  the  secret  of  that  curse 
Which  makes  sweet  love  our  anguish,  and  which  drive? 
O'er  flowers  and  pastures  to  the  sacrifice — 
As  these  dumb  beasts  are  driven — men  their  lords. 
I  seek  that  secret  :  bury  thou  thy  child  ! " 

So  entered  they  the  city  side  by  side, 
The  herdsman  and  the  Prince,  what  time  the  sun 
Gilded  slow  Sona's  distant  stream,"  and  threw 
Long  shadows  down  the  street  and  through  the  gate 
Where  the  King's  men  kept  watch.     But  when  these  sa 
Our  Lord  bearing  the  lamb,  the  guards  stood  back, 


92  THE   LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

The  market-people  drew  their  wains  aside, 

In  the  bazar  buyers  and  sellers  stayed 

The  war  of  tongues  to  gaze  on  that  mild  face  ; 

The  smith,  with  lifted  hammer  in  his  hand, 

Forgot  to  strike  ;  the  weaver  left  his  web, 

The  scribe  his  scroll,  the  money-changer  lost 

His  count  of  cowries  ;"  from  the  unwatched  rice 

Shiva's  white  bull  fed  free  f^  the  wasted  milk 

Ran  o'er  the  lota'"  while  the  milkers  watched 

The  passage  of  our  Lord  moving  so  meek, 

With  yet  so  beautiful  a  majesty. 

But  most  the  women  gathering  in  the  doors 

Asked,  "  WJio  is  this  that  brings  the  sacrifice 

So  graceful  and  peace-giving  as  he  goes  ? 

What  is  his  caste  ?  whence  hath  he  eyes  so  sweet  ? 

Can  he  be  Sakra  "  or  the  Devaraj  ?  "  '* 

And  others  said,  "  It  is  the  holy  man 

Who  dwelleth  with  the  Rishis  on  the  hill." 

But  the  Lord  paced,  in  meditation  lost, 

Thinking,  "  Alas  !  for  all  my  sheep  which  have 

No  shepherd  ;  wandering  in  the  night  with  none 

To  guide  them  ;  bleating  blindly  towards  the  knife 

Of  Death,  as  these  dumb  beasts  which  are  their  kin. 

Then  some  one  told  the  King,  "There  cometh  lie 
A  holy  hermit,  bringing  down  the  flock 
Which  thou  didst  bid  to  crown  the  sacrifice." 

The  King  stood  in  his  hall  of  offering, 
On  either  hand  the  white-robed  Brahmins  ranged 
Muttered  their  mantras,"  feeding  still  the  fire 


BOOK    THE    FIFTH.  9 

Which  roared  upon  the  midmost  altar.     Tliere 

From  scented  woods  flickered  bright  tongues  of  fl.nnio, 

Hissing  .ind  curling  as  they  licked  the  gifts 

Of  ghee"  and  spices  and  the  Soma  juice," 

The  joy  of  Indrd.      Round  about  the  pile 

A  slow,  thick,  scarlet  streamlet  smoked  and  ran, 

Sucked  by  the  sand,  but  ever  rolling  down, 

The  blood  of  bleating  victims.     One  such  lay, 

A  spotted  goat,  long-horned,  its  head  bound  back 

Witfi  munjd  grass  ;*  at  its  stretched  throat  the  knife 

Pressed  by  a  jjriest,  who  murmured,  "This,  dread  godv 

Of  many  yajnas"  cometh  as  the  crown 

From  Bimbsara  :"take  ye  joy  to  see 

The  spirted  blood,  and  pleasure  in  the  scent 

Of  rich  flesh  roasting  'mid  the  fragrant  flames  ; 

Let  the  King's  sins  be  laid  upon  this  goat. 

And  let  the  fire  consume  them  burning  it, 

For  now  I  strike." 

But  Buddha  softly  said," 
"  Let  him  not  strike,  great  King  ! "  and  therewith  loo- 
The  victim's  bonds,  none  staying  him,  so  great 
His  presence  was.     Then,  craving  leave,  he  spake 
VjOf  life,  which  all  can  take  but  none  can  give, 
Life,  which  all  creatures  love  and  strive  to  "keep, 
Wonderful,  dear  and  pleasant  unto  each. 
Even  to  the  meanest  ;  yea,  a  boon  to  all 
Where  pity  is,  for  pity  makes  the  world 
Soft  to  the  weak  and  noble  for  the  strong. 
Unto  the  dumb  lips  of  his  flock  he  lent 
Sad  pleading  words,  showing  how  man,  who  prays 
For  mercy  to  the  gods,  is  merciless. 


94  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Being  as  god  to  those  ;  albeit  all  life 
/  Is  linked  and  kin,  and  what  we  slay  have  given 
Meek  tribute  of  the  milk  and  wool,  and  set 
Fast  trust  upon  the  hands  which  murder  them. 
Also  he  spake  of  what  the  holy  books 
iDo  surely  teach,  how  that  at  death  some  sink 
JTo  bird  and  beast,  and  these  rise  up  to  man 
jIn  wanderings  of  the  spark  which  grows  purged  flame. 
So  were  the  sacrifice  new  sin,  if  so 
The  fated  passage  of  a  soul  be  stayed. 
Nor,  spake  he,  shall  one  wash  his  spirit  clean 
By  blood  ;  nor  gladden  gods,  being  good,  with  blood  ; 
Nor  bribe  them,  being  evil  ;  nay,  nor  lay 
Upon  the  brow  of  innocent  bound  beasts 
One  hair's  weight  of  that  answer  all  must  give 
For  all  things  done  amiss  or  wrongfully, 
•  Alone,  each  for  himself,  reckoning  with  that 
The  fixed  arithmic  of  the  universe. 
Which  meteth  good  for  good  and  ill  for  ill. 
Measure  for  measure,  unto  deeds,  words,  thoughts  ; 
Watchful,  aware,  implacable,  unmoved  ; 
Making  all  futures  fruits  of  all  the  pasts. 
Thus  spake  he,  breathing  words  so  piteous 
With  such  high  lordliness  of  ruth  and  right, 
The  priests  drew  back  their  garments  o'er  the  hands 
Crimsoned  with  slaughter,  and  the  King  came  near, 
Standing  with  clasped  palms  reverencing  Buddh  ; 
While  still  our  Lord  went  on,  teaching  how  fair 
This  earth  were  if  all  living  things  be  linked 
In  friendliness  and  common  use  of  foods. 
Bloodless  and  pure  ;  the  golden  grain,  bright  fruits, 


BOOK    THE    FIFTH. 

Sweet  herbs  which  grow  for  all,  the  waters  wan, 
Sufficient  drinks  and  meats.     Which  when  these  hcai 
The  might  of  gentleness  so  conquered  them, 
The  priests  themselves  scattered  their  altar  flames 
And  flung  away  the  steel  of  sacrifice  ; 
And  througn  the  land  next  day  passed  a  decree 
Proclaimed  by  criers,  and  in  this  wise  graved 
On  rock  and  column  :  "  Thus  the  King's  will  is  :— 
There  hath  been  slaughter  for  the  sacrifice 
And  slaying  for  the  meat,  but  henceforth  none 
Shall  spill  the  blood  of  life  nor  taste  of  flesh, 
Seeing  that  knowledge  grows,  and  life  is  one, 
A^d  mercy  cometh  to  the  merciful." 
So  ran  the  edict,  and  from  those  days  forth 
Sweet  peace  hath  spread  between  all  living  kind, 
Man  and  the  beasts  which  serve  him,  and  the  binis, 
On  all  those  banks  of  Gunga  where  our  Lord 
V  Taught  with  his  saintly  pity  and  soft  speech. 

I      For  aye  so  piteous  was  the  Master's  heart 
To  all  that  breathe  this  breath  of  fleeting  life, 
Yoked  in  one  fellowship  of  joys  and  pains, 
That  it  is  written  in  the  holy  books 
How,  in  an  ancient  age — when  Buddha  wore 
A  Brdhmin's  form,  dwelling  upon  the  rock 
Named  Munda,  by  the  village  of  Dalidd — 
Drought  withered  all  the  land  :  the  young  rice  died 
Ere  it  could  hide  a  quail  ;  in  forest  glades 
\  tierce  sun  sucked  the  pools  ;  grasses  and  herbs 

kened,  and  all  the  woodland  creatures  fled 
nc.nttering  for  sustenance.     At  such  a  time, 


g6  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Between  the  hot  walls  of  a  nullah,  stretched 

On  naked  stones,  our  Lord  spied,  as  he  passed, 

A  starving  tigress.     Hunger  in  her  orbs 

Glared  with  green  flame  ;  her  dry  tongue  lolled  a  span 

Beyond  the  gasping  jaws  and  shriveled  jowl  ; 

Her  painted  hide  hung  wrinkled  on  her  ribs, 

As  when  between  the  rafters  sinks  a  thatch 

Rotten  with  rains  ;  and  at  the  poor  lean  dugs 

Two  cubs,  whining  with  famine,  tugged  and  sucked, 

Mumbling  those  milkless  teats  which  rendered  nought 

While  she,  their  gaunt  dam,  licked  full  motherly 

The  clamorous  twins,  yielding  her  flank  to  them 

With  moaning  throat,  and  love  stronger  than  want,         , 

Softening  the  first  of  that  wild  cry  wherewith 

She  laid  her  famished  muzzle  to  the  sand 

And  roared  a  savage  thunder-peal  of  woe. 

Seeing  which  bitter  strait,  and  heeding  nought 

Save  the  immense  compassion  of  a  Buddh, 

Our  Lord  bethought,  "  There  is  no  other  way 

To  help  this  murderess  of  the  woods  but  one. 

By  sunset  these  will  die,  having  no  meat  : 

There  is  no  living  heart  will  pity  her. 

Bloody  with  ravin,  lean  for  lack  of  blood. 

Lo  !  if  I  feed  her,  who  shall  losebut  I, 

And  how  can  love  lose  doing  of  its  kind 

Even  to  the  uttermost  ? "     So  saying,  Buddh 

Silently  laid  aside  sandals  and  staff, 

His  sacred  thread,"  turban,  and  cloth,  and  came 

Forth  from  behind  the  milk-bush  on  the  sand, 

Saying,  "  Ho  !  mother,  here  is  meat  for  thee  !  " 

Whereat  the  perishing  beast  yelped  hoarse  and  shrill. 


BOOK    THE    FIFTH. 

Sprang  from  her  cubs,  and,  hurling  to  the  earth 
That  willing  victim,  had  her  feast  of  him 
With  all  the  crooked  daggers  of  her  claws 
Rending  his  flesh,  and  all  her  yellow  fangs 
Bathed  in  his  blood  :  the  great  cat's  burning  breath 
Mixed  with  the  last  sigh  of  such  fearless  love. 

Thus  large  the  Master's  heart  was  long  ago, 
Not  only  now,  when  with  his  gracious  ruth 
He  bade  cease  cruel  worship  of  the  Gods. 
And  much  King  Bimbsdra  prayed  our  Lord — 
Learning  his  royal  birth  and  holy  search — 
To  tarry  in  that  city,  saying  oft, 
"  Thy  princely  state  may  not  abide  such  fasts  ; 
Thy  hands  were  made  for  scepters,  not  for  alms. 
Sojourn  with  me,  who  have  no  son  to  rule. 
And  teach  my  kingdom  wisdom,  till  I  die. 
Lodged  in  my  palace  with  a  beauteous  bride." 
But  ever  spake  Siddartha,  of  set  mind, 
"These  things  I  had,  most  noble  King,  and  left, 
Seeking  the  Truth  ;  which  still  I  seek,  and  shall ; 
Not  to  be  stayed  though  Sakra's"  palace  ope'd 
Its  doors  of  pearl  and  Devis"  wooed  me  in. 
I  go  to  build  the  Kingdom  of  the  Law,       ** 
Journeying  to  Gdya  and  the  forest  shades. 
Where,  as  I  think,  the  light  will  come  to  me  ; 
For  nowise  here  among  the  Rishts  comes 
That  light,  nor  from  the  Shastcrs,"  nor  from  fasts 
Borne  till  the  body  faints,  starved  by  the  soul. 
Yet  there  is  light  to  reach  and  truth  to  win  ; 


98  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

And  surely,  O  true  Friend,  if  I  attain 
I  will  return  and  quit  thy  love." 

Thereat 
Thrice  round  the  Prince  King  Bimbsira  paced, 
Reverently  bending  to  the  Master's  feet. 
And  bade  him  speed.     So  passed  our  Lord  away 
Towards  Uravilva,**  not  yet  comforted. 
And  wan  of  face,  and  weak  with  six  years'  quest. 
But  they  upon  the  hill  and  in  the  grove — 
Alira,  Udra,  and  the  ascetics  five — 
Had  stayed  him,  saying  all  was  written  clear 
In  holy  Shasters,  and  that  none  might  win 
Higher  than  Sruti"^  and  than  Si>tnti^ — nay. 
Not  the  chief  saints  ! — for  how  should  mortal  man 
Be  wiser  than  the  Jnana-Kand,'"  which  tells 
How  Brahm  is  bodiless  and  actionless, 
,  Passionless,  calm,  unqualified,  unchanged, 
'  Pure  life,  pure  thought,  pure  joy  ?     Or  how  should  man 
Be  better  than  the  Karmma-Kand,'*'  which  shows 
How  he  may  strip  passion  and  action  off, 
Break  from  the  bond  of  self,  and  so,  unsphered, 
Be  God,  and  melt  into  the  vast  divine, 
Flying  from  false  to  true,  from  wars  of  sense 
To  peace  eternal,  where  the  silence  lives  ? 

But  the  Prince  heard  them,  not  j'et  comforted. 


Book  the  Sixth. 

Thou  who  wouldst  see  where  dawned  the  light  at  last, 

North-westwards  from  the  "Thousand  Gardens'"  go 

By  Gunga's  valley  till  thy  steps  be  set 

On  the  green  hills  where  those  twin  streamlets  spring 

Nilajan  and  Mohdna  ;  follow  them, 

Winding  beneath  broad-leaved  mahua-trees,' 

'Mid  thickets  of  the  sansdr^  and  the  bir/ 

Till  on  the  plain  the  shining  sisters  meet 

In  PhalgQ's  bed,  flowing  by  rocky  banks 

To  Gdya  and  the  red  Barabar  hills.' 

Hard  by  that  river  spreads  a  thorny  waste, 

Uruwcla  named  in  ancient  days, 

With  sandhills  broken  ;  on  its  verge  a  wood 

Waves  sea-green  plumes  and  tassels  'thwart  the  sky. 

With  undergrowth  wherethrough  a  still  flood  steals. 

Dappled  with  lotus-blossoms,  blue  and  while, 

And  peopled  with  quick  fish  and  tortoises. 

Near  it  the  village  of  Senani*  reared 

Its  roofs  of  grass,  nestled  amid  the  palms, 

Peaceful  with  simple  folk  and  pastoral  toils. 

There  in  the  sylvan  solitudes  once  more 
Lord  Buddha  lived,  musing  the  woes  of  men, 
99 


lOO  THE   LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

The  ways  of  fate,  the  doctrines  of  the  books, 
The  lessons  of  the  creatures  of  the  brake. 
The  secrets  of  the  silence  whence  all  come, 
The  secrets  of  the  gloom  whereto  all  go, 
The  life  which  lies  between,  like  that  arch  flung 
From  cloud  to  cloud  across  the  sky,  which  hath 
Mists  for  its  masonry  and  vapory  piers. 
Melting  to  void  again  which  was  so  fair 
With  sapphire  hues,  garnet,  and  chr}-soprase. 
Moon  after  moon  our  Lord  sate  in  the  wood, 
So  meditating  these  that  he  forgot 
Ofttimes  the  hour  of  food,  rising  from  thoughts 
Prolonged  beyond  the  sunrise  and  the  noon 
To  see  his  bowl  unfilled,  and  eat  perforce 
Of  wild  fruit  fallen  from  the  boughs  o'erhead, 
Shaken  to  earth  by  chattering  ape  or  plucked 
By  purple  paroquet.     Therefore  his  grace 
Faded  ;  his  body,  worn  by  stress  of  soul, 
Lost  day  by  day  the  marks,  thirty  and  two,' 
Which  testify  the  Buddha.      Scarce  that  leaf, 
Fluttering  so  dry  and  withered  to  his  feet 
From  off  the  sal-branch,*  bore  less  likeliness 
Of  spring's  soft  greenery  than  he  of  him 
Who  was  the  princely  flower  of  all  his  land. 

And  once  at  such  a  time  the  o'erwrought  Prince 
Fell  to  the  earth  in  deadly  swoon,  all  spent, 
Even  as  one  slain,  who  hath  no  longer  breath 
Nor  any  stir  of  blood  ;  so  wan  he  was, 
So  motionless.     But  there  came  by  that  way 
A  shepherd-boy,  who  saw  Siddartha  lie 


BOOK    THE  SIXTH. 

With  lids  fast-closed,  and  lines  of  nameless  pain 

Fixed  on  his  lips — the  fiery  noonday  sun 

Beating  upon  his  head — who,  plucking  boughs 

From  wild  rose-apple  trees,  knitted  them  thick 

Into  a  bower  to  shade  the  sacred  fa,c(;. 

Also  he  poured  upon  the  Mastci's  lip? 

Drops  of  warm  milk,  pressed  from  his.  sha- goal's  Lag, 

Lejt,  being  of  low  caste,  he  do  wrong  to  one 

So  high  and  holy  seeming.     But  the  books 

Tell  how  the  jambu-branches,'  planted  thus, 

Sliot  with  quick  life  in  wealth  of  leaf  and  flower 

And  glowing  fuiitage  interlaced  and  close, 

So  that  the  bower  grew  like  a  tent  of  silk 

Pitched  for  a  king  at  hunting,  decked  with  studs 

Of  silver-work  and  bosses  of  red  gold 

And  the  boy  worshiped,  deeming  him  some  God  ; 

But  our  Lord  gaining  breath,  arose  and  asked 

Milk  in  the  shepherd's  lota.'"     "  Ah,  my  Lord, 

1  cannot  give  thee,"  quoth  the  lad  ;  "  thou  seest 

I  am  a  Sudra,  and  my  touch  defiles  !  "  " 

Then  the  World-honored  spake  :  "  Pity  and  need 

Make  all  flesh  kin.     There  is  no  caste  in  blood, 

Which  runneth  of  one  hue,  nor  caste  in  tears. 

Which  trickle  salt  with  all ;  neither  comes  man 

To  birth  with  tilka-mark"  stamped  on  the  brow. 

Nor  sacred  thread  on  neck.     Who  doth  right  deeds 

Is  twice-born,  and  who  doeth  ill  deeds  vile. 

Give  me  to  drink,  my  brother  ;  when  I  come 

Unto  my  quest  it  shall  be  good  for  thee." 

Thereat  the  peasant's  heart  was  glad,  and  gave. 


102  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

And  on  another  day  there  passed  that  road 
A  band  of  tinseled  girls,  the  nautch-dancers 
Of  Indrd's  temple"  in  the  town,  with  those 
Who  made  their  music — one  that  beat  a  drum 
Set  round  withpeacock-feathers,  one  that  blew 
The  pifMrig  b^nsuli,"  and  one  that  twitched 
A  three-string  sitar.''    'Lightly  tripped  they  down 
From  ledge  to  ledge  and  through  the  chequered  patl^ 
To  some  gay  festival,  the  silver  bells 
Chiming  soft  peals  about  the  small  brown  feet, 
Armlets  and  wrist-rings  tattling  answer  shrill  ; 
While  he  that  bore  the  sitar  thrummed  and  twanged 
His  threads  of  brass,  and  she  beside  him  sang — 

"  Fair  goes  the  dancing  when  the  sitdr's  tuned ; 
Tune  us  the  sitdr  neither  low  nor  high. 
And  we  will  dance  away  the  hearts  of  men. 

The  string  o'erstretc/ied  breaks,  and  tJie  music  flies  ; 
The  string  derslack  is  dumb,  and  music  dies  ; 
Tune  us  the  sitdr  tieither  low  nor  high." 

So  sang  the  nautch-girl  to  the  pipe  and  wires, 
Fluttering  like  some  vain,  painted  butterfly 
From  glade  to  glade  along  the  forest  path, 
Nor  dreamed  her  light  words  echoed  on  the  ear 
Of  him,  that  holy  man,  who  sate  so  rapt 
Under  the  fig-tree  by  the  path.     But  Buddh 
Lifted  his  great  brow  as  the  wantons  passed. 
And  spake  :  "  The  foolish  ofttimes  teach  the  wise  ; 
I  strain  too  much  this  string  of  life,  belike. 


BOOK    THE    SIXTH. 

Meaning  to  make  such  music  as  shall  save. 
Mine  eyes  are  dim  now  that  they  see  the  truth, 
My  strength  is  waned  now  that  my  need  is  most  ; 
Would  that  I  had  such  help  as  man  must  have, 
For  I  shall  die,  whose  life  was  all  men's  hope." 

Now,  by  that  river  dwelt  a  landholder 
Pious  and  rich,  master  of  many  herds, 
A  goodly  chief,  the  friend  of  all  the  poor ; 
And  from  his  house  the  village  drew  its  name — 
"  Sendni."'«     Pleasant  and  in  peace  he  lived, 
Having  for  wife  Sujata,"  loveliest 
Of  all  the  dark-eyed  daughters  of  the  plain  ; 
Gentle  and  true,  simple  and  kind  was  she. 
Noble  of  mien,  with  gracious  speecli  to  all 
And  gladsome  looks — a  pearl  of  womanhood — 
Passing  calm  years  of  household  happiness 
Beside  her  lord  in  that  still  Indian  home. 
Save  that  no  male  child  blessed  their  wedded  love. 
Wherefore  with  many  prayers  she  had  besought" 
Lakshmi  ;"  and  many  nights  at  full-moon  gone 
Round  the  great  Lingam,"  nine  times  nine,  with  gifts 
Of  rice  and  jasmine  wreaths  and  sandal  oil, 
Praying  a  boy  ;  also  Sujata  vowed — 
If  this  should  be — an  offering  of  food 
Unto  the  Wood-God,  plenteous,  delicate, 
Set  in  a  bowl  of  gold  under  his  tree. 
Such  as  the  lips  of  Dcvs"  may  taste  and  take. 
And  this  had  been  :  for  there  was  born  to  her 
A  beauteous  boy,  now  three  months  old,  who  lay 
Between  Sujata's  breasts,  while  she  did  pace 


104  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

With  grateful  footsteps  to  the  Wood-God's  shrine, 
One  arm  clasping  her  crimson  sari'*  close 
To  wrap  the  babe,  that  jewel  of  her  joys, 
The  other  lifted  high  in  comely  curve 
To  steady  on  her  head  the  bowl  and  dish 
Which  held  the  dainty  victuals  for  the  God. 

But  Radhd,  sent  before  to  sweep  the  ground 
And  tie  the  scarlet  threads  around  the  tree,-^ 
Came  eager,  crjnng,  "Ah,  dear  Mistress  !  look  ! 
There  is  the  Wood-God  sitting  in  his  place, 
Revealed,  with  folded  hands  upon  his  knees. 
See  how  the  light  shines  round  about  his  brow  ! 
How  mild  and  great  he  seems,  with  heavenly  eyes ! 
Good  fortune  is  it  thus  to  meet  the  gods." 

So— thinking  him  divine,^Sujata  drew 
Tremblingly  nigh,  and  kissed  the  earth  and  said, 
With  sweet  face  bent,  "  Would  that  the  Holy  One 
Inhabiting  this  grove.  Giver  of  good 
Merciful  unto  me  his  handmaiden 
Vouchsafing  now  his  presence,  might  accept 
These  our  poor  gifts  of  snowy  curds,  fresh-made. 
With  milk  as  white  as  new-carved  ivory  !  " 

Therewith  into  the  golden  bowl  she  poured 
The  curds  and  milk,  and  on  the  hands  of  Buddh 
Dropped  attar  from  a  crystal  flask — distilled 
Out  of  the  hearts  of  roses  :  and  he  ate, 
Speaking  no  word,  while  the  glad  mother  stood 
In  reverence  apart.     But  of  that  meal 


BOOK    THF.   SIXTH. 

So  wondrous  was  the  virtue  that  our  Lord 
Felt  strength  and  life  return  as  though  the  nights 
Of  watching  and  the  days  of  fast  had  passed 
In  dream,  as  though  the  spirit  with  the  flesh 
Shared  that  fine  meat  and  ]ilumcd  its  wings  anew, 
Like  some  delighted  bird  at  sudden  streams 
Weary  with  flight  o'er  endless  wastes  of  sand, 
Which  laves  the  desert  dust  from  neck  and  crest. 
And  more  Sujata  worshiped,  seeing  our  Lord 
Grow  fairer  and  his  countenance  more  bright  : 
"  Art  thou  indeed  the  God  ?  "  she  lowly  asked, 
"  And  hath  my  gift  found  favor  ?  " 

But  Buddh  said, 
"  What  is  it  thou  dost  bring  me  ? " 

"  Holy  one  !  " 
Answered  SujAta,  "  from  our  droves  I  took 
Milk  of  a  hundred  mothers,  newly-calved, 
And  with  that  milk  I  fed  fifty  white  cows, 
And  with  their  milk  twenty  and  five,  and  then 
With  theirs  twelve  more,  and  yet  again  with  theirs 
The  six  noblest  and  best  of  all  our  herds. 
That  yield  I  boiled  with  sandal  and  fine  spice 
In  silver  lotds,**  adding  rice,  well  grown 
1  rom  chosen  seed,  set  in  new-broken  ground, 
So  picked  that  every  grain  was  like  a  pearl. 
I'his  did  I  of  true  iieart,  because  I  vowed 
Under  thy  tree,  if  I  should  bear  a  boy 
I  would  make  offering  for  my  joy,  and  now 
I  have  my  son  and  all  my  life  is  bliss  !  " 

Softly  our  Lord  drew  down  the  crimson  fold, 
And,  laying  on  the  little  head  those  hands 


lOO  THE   LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Which  help  the  worlds,  he  said,  "  Long  be  thy  bliss 
And  lightly  fall  on  him  the  load  of  life  ! 
i  For  thou  hast  holpen  me  who  am  no  God, 
But  one,  thy  Brother  ;  heretofore  a  Prince 
And  now  a  wanderer,  seeking  night  and  day 
These  six  hard  years  that  light  which  somewhere  sh 
To  lighten  all  men's  darkness,  if  they  knew  ! 
And  I  shall  find  the  light  ;  yea,  now  it  dawned 
Glorious  and  helpful,  when  my  weak  flesh  failed 
Which  this  pure  food,  fair  Sister,  hath  restored, 
Drawn  manifold  through  lives  to  quicken  life 
As  life  itself  passes  by  many  births 
To  happier  heights  and  purging  off  of  sins. 
Yet  dost  thou  truly  find  it  sweet  enough 
Only  to  live  ?     Can  life  and  love  suffice  ?  " 

Answered  Sujdta,  "  Worshipful  !  my  heart 
fs  little,  and  a  little  rain  will  fill 
The  lily's  cup  which  hardly  moists  the  field. 
It  is  enough  for  me  to  feel  life's  sun 
Shine  in  my  Lord's  grace  and  ray  baby's  smile. 
Making  the  loving  summer  of  our  home. 
Pleasant  my  days  pass  filled  with  household  cares 
From  sunrise  when  I  wake  to  praise  the  gods. 
And  give  forth  grain,  and  trim  the  tulsi-plant,** 
And  set  my  handmaids  to  their  tasks,  till  noon, 
When  my  Lord  lays  his  head  upon  my  lap 
Lulled  by  soft  songs  and  wavings  of  the  fan  ; 
And  so  to  supper-time  at  quiet  eve, 
When  by  his  side  I  stand  and  serve  the  cakes."* 
Then  the  stars  light  their  silver  lamps  for  sleep. 


BOOK    THE   SIXTH.  I< 

After  the  temple  and  the  talk  with  friends. 
How  should  I  not  be  happy,  blest  so  much, 
And  bearing  him  this  boy  whose  tiny  hand 
Shall  lead  his  soul  to  Swerga,"  if  it  need  ? 
For  holy  books  teach  when  a  man  sluU  plant 
Trees  for  the  travelers'  shade,  and  dig  a  well 
For  the  folks'  comfort,  and  beget  a  son, 
It  shall  be  good  for  such  after  their  death  ; 
And  what  the  books  say  that  I  humbly  take, 
Being  not  wiser  than  those  great  of  old 
Who  spake  with  gods,  and  knew  the  hymns  and  charms, 
And  all  the  ways  of  virtue  and  of  peace. 
Also  I  think  that  good  must  come  of  good 
And  ill  of  evil — surely — unto  all — 
In  every  ii'.ace  and  time — seeing  sweet  fruit 
Groweth  from  wholesome  roots,  and  bitter  things 
From  poison-stocks  ;  yea,  seeing,  too,  how  spite 
Breeds  hate,  and  kindness  friends,  and  patience  peace 
Even  while  we  live  ;  and  when  'tis  willed  we  die 
Shall  there  not  be  as  good  a  '  Then  '  as  '  Now  ?  *' 
I  Haply  much  better  ;  since  one  grain  of  rice 
Shoots  a  green  feather  gemmed  with  fifty  pearls. 
And  all  the  starry  champak's"*  white  and  gold 
Lurks  in  those  little,  naked,  gray  spring-buds. 
.\h,  Sir  !  I  know  there  might  be  woes  to  bear 
Would  lay  fond  Patience  witli  her  face  in  dust  ; 
If  this  my  babe  pass  first  I  think  my  heart 
Would  break — almost  I  hope  my  heart  would  break  ! 
That  I  might  clasp  him  dead  and  wait  my  Lord — 
In  whatsoever  world  holds  faithful  wives — 
Duteous,  attending  till  his  hour  should  come. 


I08  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

But  if  Death  called  Senani,  I  should  mount 

The  pile  and  lay  that  dear  head  in  my  lap,'^ 

My  daily  way,  rejoicing  when  the  torch 

Lit  the  quick  flame  and  rolled  the  choking  smoke. 

For  it  is  written  if  an  Indian  wife 

Die  so,  her  love  shall  give  her  husband's  soul 

For  every  hair  upon  her  head  a  cror™ 

Of  years  in  Swerga.     Therefore  fear  I  not. 

And  therefore,  Holy  Sir  !  my  life  is  glad, 

Nowise  forgetting  yet  those  other  lives 

Painful  and  poor,  wicked  and  miserable. 

Whereon  the  gods  grant  pity  !  but  for  m° 

What  good  I  see  humbly  I  seek  to  do. 

And  live  obedient  to  the  law,  in  trust 

That  what  will  come,  and  must  come,  shall  come  well.' 

Then  spake  our  Lord,  "  Thou  teachest  them  who  teach, 
Wiser  than  wisdom  in  thy  simple  lore. 
Be  thou  content  to  know  not,  knowing  thus 
The  way  of  right  and  duty  :  grow,  thou  flower  ! 
With  thy  sweet  kind  in  peaceful  shade — the  light 
Of  Truth's  high  noon  is  not  for  tender  leaves 
;  Which  must  spread  broad  in  other  suns  and  lift 
In  later  lives  a  crowned  head  to  the  sky. 
Thou  who  hast  worshiped  me,  I  worship  thee  ! 
Excellent  heart !  learned  unknowingly. 
As  the  dove  is  which  flieth  home  by  love. 
In  thee  is  seen  why  there  is  hope  for  man 
And  where  we  hold  the  wheel  of  life  at  will. 
Peace  go  with  thee,  and  comfort  all  thy  days  ! 
As  thou  accomplishest,  may  I  achieve  ! 
He  whom  thou  thoughtest  God  bids  thee  wish  this." 


BOOK    THE    SIXTH.  K 

"  May'st  thou  achieve,"  she  said,  with  earnest  eyes 
Bent  on  her  babe,  who  reached  its  tender  hands 
To  Buddh — icnowing,  belike,  as  children  know. 
More  than  we  deem,  and  reverencing  our  Lord  ; 
But  he  arose — made  strong  with  that  pure  meat — 
And  bent  his  footsteps  where  a  great  Tree  grew, 
The  Bodhi-tree"  (thenceforward  in  all  years 
Never  to  fade,  and  ever  to  be  kept 
In  homage  of  the  world),  beneath  whose  leaves 
It  was  ordained  that  Truth  should  come  to  Buddh  : 
Which  now  the  Master  knew  ;  wherefore  he  went 
With  measured  pace,  steadfast,  majestical. 
Unto  the  Tree  of  Wisdom.     Oh,  ye  Worlds  ! 
Rejoice  1  our  Lord  wended  unto  the  Tree  ! 

Whom — as  he  passed  into  its  ample  shade, 
Cloistered  with  columned  dropping  stems,  and  roofed 
With  vaults  of  glistening  green — the  conscious  earth 
Worshiped  with  waving  grass  and  sudden  flush 
Of  flowers  about  his  feet.     The  forest-boughs 
Bent  down  to  shade  him  ;  from  the  river  sighed 
Cool  wafts  of  wind  laden  with  lotus-scents 
Breathed  by  the  water-gods.     Large  wondering  eyes 
Of  woodland  creatures — panther^  boar,  and  deer — 
At  peace  that  eve,  gazed  on  his  face  benign 
From  cave  and  thicket.     Fronj  its  cold  cleft  wound 
The  mottled  deadly  snake,  dancing  its  hood 
In  honor  of  our  Lord  ;  bright  butterflies 
Fluttered  their  vans,  azure  and  green  and  gold. 
To  be  his  fan-bearers  ;  the  fierce  kite  dropped 
Its  jirey  and  screamed  ;  the  striped  palm-sciuirrel  raced 


no  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

From  stem  to  stem  to  see  ;  the  weaver-bird 
Chirped  from  her  swinging  nest ;  the  lizard  ran  ; 
The  koiP  sang  her  hymn  ;  the  doves  flocked  round  : 
Even  the  creeping  things  were  'ware  and  glad. 
Voices  of  earth  and  air  joined  in  one  song,'^ 
Which  unto  ears  that  hear  said,  "  Lord  and  Friend  ! 
Lover  and  Savior  !     Thou  who  hast  subdued 
Angers  and  prides,  desires  and  fears  and  doubts, 
.Thou  that  for  each  and  all  hast  given  thyself, 
/Pass  to  the  Tree  !     The  sad  world  blesseth  thee 
Who  art  the  Buddh  that  shall  assuage  her  woes. 
Pass,  Hailed  and  Honored  !  strive  thy  last  for  us. 
King  and  higli  Conqueror  !  thine  hour  is  come  ; 
This  is  the  Night  the  ages  waited  for  !  " 

Then  fell  the  night  even  as  our  Master  sate 
Under  that  Tree.     But  he  who  is  the  Prince 
Of  Darkness,  Mara^ — knowing  this  was  Buddh 
Who  should  deliver  men,  and  now  the  hour 
■When  he  should  find  the  Truth  and  save  the  worlds- 
Gave  unto  all  his  evil  powers  command. 
Wherefore  there  trooped  from  every  deepest  pit 
The  fiends  who  war  with  Wisdom  and  the  Light, 
Arati,"  Trishnd,^  Raga,^'  and  their  crew 
Of  passions,  horrors,  ignorances,  lusts, 
The  brood  of  gloom  and  dread  ;  all  hating  Buddh, 
Seeking  to  shake  his  mind  ;  nor  knoweth  one. 
Not  even  the  wisest,  how  those  fiends  of  Hell 
Battled  that  night  to  keep  the  Truth  from  Buddh  : 
Sometimes  with  terrors  of  the  tempest,  blasts 
Of  demon-armies  clouding  all  the  wind. 


BOOK    THE   SIXTH. 


With  thunder,  and  wkh  blinding  lightning  flung 
In  jagged  javelins  of  purple  wrath 
From" splitting  skies  ;  sometimes  with  wiles  and  words 
Fair-sounding,  'mid  hushed  leaves  and  softened  airs 
From  shapes  of  witching  beauty;  wanton  songs, 
Whispers  of  love  ;  sometimes  with  royal  allures 
Of  proffered  rule  ;  sometimes  with  mocking  doubts, 
Making  truth  vain.     But  whether  these  befell 
Without  and  visible,  or  whether  Buddh 
Strove  with  fell  spirits  in  his  inmost  heart, 
Judge  ye  :— I  write  what  ancient  books  have  writ. 

The  ten  chief  Sins  came— Mara's  mighty  ones, 
Angels  of  evil— Attavdda  first, 
^he  Sin  of  Self,  who  in  the  Universe 
As  in  a"TiiTrror  sees  her  fond  face  shown. 
And  crying  "  I  "  would  have  the  world  say  "I," 
And  all  things  perish  so  if  she  endure. 
"  If  thou  be'st  Buddh."  she  said,  "  let  others  grope 
Lightless  ;  it  is  enough  that  thou  art  Thou 
Changelessly  ;  rise  and  take  the  bliss  of  gods 
Who  change  not,  heed  not,  strive  not."  But  Buddh  spake 
"  The  right  in  thee  is  base,  the  wrong  a  curse  ;  ^ 

Cheat  such  as  love  themselves."     Then  came  wan  Doubt 
He  that  denies— the  mocking  Sin— and  this 
Hissed  in  the  Master's  ear,  "  All  things  are  shows, 
And  vain  the  knowledge  of  their  vanity  ; 
Tl>ou  dost  but  chase  the  shadow  of  thyself  ', 
Rise  and  go  hence,  there  is  no  better  way 
Than  patient  scorn,  nor  any  help  for  man, 
Nor  any  staying  of  his  whirling  wheel." 


112  THE   LIGHT   OF   ASIA. 

But  quoth  our  Lord,  "  Thou  hast  no  part  with  me, 

False  Visikitcha,  subtlest  of  man's  foes." 

And  third  came  she  who  gives  dark  creeds  their  power, 

Silabbat-paramisa,  sorceress, 

Dra£ed_fair  in  many  lands  aslowly  Faithj^ 

But  ever  juggHfig  souls  with  rites  and  prayers  ; 

The  keeper  of  those  keys  which  lock  up  Hells 

And  open  Heavens.     "  Wilt  thou  dare,"  she  said, 

"  Put  by  our  sacred  books,  dethrone  our  gods. 

Unpeople  all  the  temples,  shaking  down 

That  law  which  feeds  the  priests  and  props  the  realms  ?  ' 

But  Buddha  answered,  "  What  thou  bidd'st  me  keeo 

Is  form  which  passes,  but  the  free  Truth  stands  ; 

Get  thee  unto  thy  darkness."     Next  there  drew 

Gallantly  nigh  a  braver  Tempter,  he, 

Kdma,^  the_King  of  passions,  who  hath  sway 

Over  the  gods  thernseR-es,  Lord  of  all  loves, 

Ruler  of  Pleasure's  realm.     Laughing  he  came 

Unto  the  Tree,  bearing  his  bow  of  gold 

Wreathed  with  red  blooms,  and  arrows  of  desire 

Pointed  with  five-tongued  delicate  flame  which  stings 

The  heart  it  smites  sharper  than  poisoned  barb  : 

And  round  him  came  into  that  lonely  place 

Bands  of  bright  shapes  with  heavenly  eyes  and  lips 

Singing  in  lovely  words  the  praise  of  Love 

To  music  of  invisible  sweet  cords. 

So  witching,  that  it  seemed  the  night  stood  still 

To  hear  them,  and  the  listening  stars  and  moon 

Paused  in  their  orbits  while  these  hymned  to  Buddh 

Of  lost  delights,  and  how  a  mortal  man 

Findeth  nought  dearer  in  the  three  wide  worlds 


BOOK    THE   SIXTH. 

Than  are  the  yielded  loving  fragrant  breasts 

Of  Beauty  and  the  rosy  breast-blossoms, 

Love's  rubies  ;  nay,  and  toucheth  nought  more  high 

Than  is  that  dulcet  harmony  of  form 

Seen  in  the  lines  and  charms  of  loveliness 

Unspeakable,  yet  speaking,  soul  to  soul, 

Owned  by  the  bounding  blood,  worshiped  by  will 

Which  leaps  to  seize  it,  knowing  this  is  best, 

This  the  true  heaven  where  mortals  are  like  gods, 

Makers  and  Masters,  this  the  gift  of  gifts 

Ever  renewed  and  worth  a  thousand  woes. 

For  who  hath  grieved  when  soft  arms  shut  him  safe, 

And  all  life  melted  to  a  happy  sigh, 

And  all  the  world  was  given  in  one  warm  kiss  ? 

So  sang  they  with  soft  float  of  beckoning  hands, 

Eyes  lighted  with  love-flames,  alluring  smiles  ; 

In  dainty  dance  their  supple  sides  and  limbs 

Revealing  and  concealing  like  burst  buds 

Which  tell  their  color,  but  hide  yet  their  hearts. 

Never  so  matchless  grace  delighted  eye 

As  troop  by  troop  these  midnight-dancers  swept 

Nearer  the  Tree,  each  daintier  than  the  last. 

Murmuring  "  O  great  Siddartha  !  I  am  thine. 

Taste  of  my  mouth  and  see  if  youth  is  sweet  !  " 

Also,  when  nothing  moved  our  Master's  mind, 

Lo  !  Kdma  waved  his  magic  bow,  and  lo  ! 

The  band  of  dancers  opened,  and  a  shape 

Fairest  and  stateliest  of  the  throng  came  forth 

Wearing  the  guise  of  sweet  Yasbdhara. 

Tender  the  passion  of  those  dark  eyes  seemed 

Brimming  with  tears  ;  yearning  those  outspread  arms 


114  f"^    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Opened  towards  him  ;  musical  that  moan 
Wherewith  the  beauteous  shadow  named  his  name, 
Sighing  "  My  Prince  !  I  die  for  lack  of  thee  ! 
What  heaven  hast  thou  found  like  that  we  knew 
By  bright  Rohini  in  the  Pleasure-house, 
Where  all  these  weary  years  I  weep  for  thee  ? 
Return,  Siddartha  !  ah  !  return.     But  touch 
My  lips  again,  but  let  me  to  thy  breast 
Once,  and  these  fruitless  dreams  will  end  !     Ah,  look  ! 
Am  I  not  she  thou  lovedst  ?"     But  Buddh  said, 
"  For  that  sweet  sake  of  her  thou  playest  thus. 
Fair  and  false  Shadow  !  is  thy  playing  vain  ; 
I  curse  thee  not  who  wear'st  a  form  so  dear, 
•Yet  as  thou  art  so  are  all  earthly  shows. 
Melt  to  thy  void  again  ! "     Thereat  a  cry 
Thrilled  through  the  grove,  and  all  that  comely  rout 
Faded  with  flickering  wafts  of  flame,  and  trail 
Of  vaporous  robes. 

Next  under  darkening  skies 
And  noise  of  rising  storm  came  fiercer  Sins, 
The  rearmost  of  the  Ten  ;  Patigha— Hate— 
With  serpents  coiled  about  her  waist,  wliiifh  suck 
Poisonous  milk  from  both  her  hanging  dugs, 
And  with  her  curses  mix  their  angry  hiss. 
Little  wrought  she  upon  that  Holy  One 
Who  with  his  calm  eyes  dumbed  her  bitter  lips 
And  made  her  black  snakes  writhe  to  hide  their  fangs. 
Then  followed  Ruparaga — Lust  of  days — 
That  sensual  Sin  which  out  of  greed  for  life 
Forgets  to  live  ;  and  next  him  Lust  of  Fame, 
Nobler  Aruparaga,  she  whose  spell 


BOOK    THE    SIXTH.  1 

Beguiles  the  wise,  mother  of  daring  deeds, 

Battles  and  toils.     And  haughty  Mano  came, 

Tlie  Fiend  of  Pride  ;  and  smooth  Self-Righteousness, 

Uddhachcha  ;  and — with  many  a  hideous  band 

Of  vile  and  formless  things,  which  crept  and  flapped 

Toad-like  and  bat-like — Ignorance,  tlie  Dam 

Of  Fear  and  Wrong,  Avidya,  hideous  hag, 

Whose  footsteps  left  the  midnight  darker,  while 

The  rooted  mountains  shook,  the  wild  winds  howled, 

The  broken  clouds  shed  from  their  caverns  strearris 

Of  levin-lighted  rain  ;  stars  shot  from  heaven, 

The  solid  earth  shuddered  as  if  one  laid 

Flame  to  her  gaping  wounds  ;  the  torn  black  air 

Was  full  of  whistling  winds,  of  screams  and  yells, 

Of  evil  faces  peering,  of  vast  fronts 

Terrible  and  majestic.  Lords  of  Hell 

Who  from  a  thousand  l.imbos  led  their  troops 

To  tempt  the  Master. 

But  Buddh  heeded  not. 
Sitting  serene,  with  perfect  virtue  walled 
As  is  a  stronghold  by  its  gates  and  ramps  ; 
Also  the  Sacred  Tree — the  Bodiii-trce — 
Amid  that  tumult  stirred  not,  but  each  leaf 
Glistened  as  still  as  when  on  moonlit  eves 
No  zephyr  spills  the  glittering  gems  of  dew ; 
For  all  this  clamor  raged  outside  the  shade 
Spread  by  those  cloistered  stems  : 

In  tlie  third  watch, 
The  earth  being  still,  the  hellish  legions  fled, 
A  soft  air  breathing  from  the  sinking  moon. 
Our  Lord  attained  Samma  SambuJJfi;"  he  saw 


Il6  THE   LIGHT   OF   ASIA. 

By  light  which  shines  beyond  our  mortal  ken 
The  line  of  all  his  lives  in  all  the  worlds, 
Far  back  and  farther  back  and  farthest  yet, 
Five  hundred  lives  and  fifty.     Even  as  one. 
At  rest  upon  a  mountain-summit,  marks 
His  path  wind  up  by  precipice  and  crag. 
Past  thick-set  woods  shrunk  to  a  patcl^ ;  through  bogs 
Glittering  false-green  ;  down  hollows  where  he  toiled 
Breathless  ;  on  dizzy  ridges  where  his  feet 
Had  well-nigh  slipped  ;  beyond  the  sunny  lawns. 
The  cataract  and  the  cavern  and  the  pool. 
Backward  to  those  dim  flats  wherefrom  he  sprang 
To  reach  the  blue  ;  tlws  Buddha  did  behold 
Life's  upward  steps  long-linked,  from  levels  low 
Where  breath  is  base,  to  higher  slopes  and  higher 
Whereon  the  ten  great  Virtues*  wait  to  lead 
The  climber  skyward.     Also,  Buddha  saw 
I  How  new  life  reaps  what  the  old  life  did  sow  : 
How  where  its  march  breaks  off  its  march  begins  ; 
Holding  the  gain  and  answering  for  the  loss  ; 
And  how  in  each  life  good  begets  more  good, 
.Evil  fresh  evil  ;  Death  but  casting  up 
Debit  or  credit,  whereupon  th'  account 
In  merits  or  demerits  stamps  itself 
By  sure  arithmic — where  no  tittle  drops — 
Certain  and  just,  on  some  new-springing  life  ; 
Wherein  are  packed  and  scored  past  thoughts  and  deeds. 
Strivings  and  triumphs,  memories  and  marks 
Of  lives  foregone  : 

And  in  the  middle  watch 
Our  Lord  attained  Ab/iicfj/ia" — insight  vast 


BOOK    THE    SIXTH. 

Ranging  beyond  this  sphere  to  spheres  unnamed,' 
System  on  system,  countless  worlds  and  suns 
Moving  in  splendid  measures,  band  by  band 
Linked  in  division,  one  yet  separate, 
The  silver  islands  of  a  sappliire  sea 
Shoreless,  unfathomed,  undiminished,  stirred 
With  waves  which  roll  in  restless  tides  of  chilnge^ 
He  saw  those  Lords  of  Light  who  hold  their  worlds 
By  bonds  invisible,  how  they  themselves 
Circle  obedient  round  mightier  orbs     - 
Which  serve  profounder  splendors,  star  to  star 
Flashing  the  ceaseless  radiance  of  life 
From  centers  ever  shifting  unto  cirques' 
Knowing  no  uttermost.     These  he  beheld 
With  unsealed  vision,  and  of  all  those  worlds. 
Cycle  on  epicycle,  all  their  tale        '         , 
Of  Kalpas,  Maha-kalpas" — terms  of  time    . 
Which  no  man  grasps,  yea,  though  he  knew  to  count' 
The  drops  in  Gunga  from  her  springs  to  the  sea. 
Measureless  unto  speech — whereby  these  wax 
And  wane  ;  whereby  each  of  this  heavenly  host. 
Fulfills  its  shining  life  and  darkling  dies. 
Sakwal  by  Sakwal,**  depths  and  heights  he  passed 
'Transported  through  the  blue  infinitudes, 
'<  Marking — behind  all  modes,  above  all  spheres, 
Beyond  the  burning  impulse  of  each  orb — 
That  fixed  decree  at  silent  work  which  wills 
E'-olve  the  dark  to  light,  the  dead  to  life. 
To  fullness  void,  to  form  the  yet  unformed, 
Good  unto  better,  better  unto  best. 
By  wordless  edict  ;  having  none  to  bid, 


Il8  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

None  to  forbid  ;  for  this  is  past  all  gods 
I  Immutable,  unspeakable,  supreme, 
A  Power  which  builds,  unbuilds,  and  builds  again, 
Ruling  all  things  accordant  to  the  rule 
Of  virtue,  which  is  beauty,  truth,  and  use. 
So  that  all  things  do  well  which  serve  the  Power, 
And  ill  which  hinder  ;  nay,  the  worm  does  well 
Obedient  to  its  kind  ;  the  hawk  does  well 
Which  carries  bleeding  quarries  to  its  young  ; 
The  dewdrop  and  the  star  shine  sisterly. 
Globing  together  in  the  common  work  ; 
And  man  who  lives  to  die,  dies  to  live  well 
So  if  he  guide  his  ways  by  blamelessness 
And  earnest  will  to  hinder  not. but  help 
All  things  both  great  and  small  which  suffer  life. 
These  did  our  Lord  see  in  the  middle  watch. 

But  when  the  fourth  watch  came  the  secret  came 
Of  Sorrow,  which  with  evil  mars  the  law. 
As  damp  and  dross  hold  back  the  goldsmith's  fire. 
Then  was  the  Dukha-satya"  opened  him 
/First  of  the  "  Noble  Truths  ;  ""  how  Sorrow  is 
Shadow  to  life,  moving  where  life  doth  move  ; 
Not  to  be  laid  aside  until  one  lays 
Living  aside,  with  all  its  changing  states, 
Birth,  growth,  decay,  love,  hatred,  pleasure,  pain. 
Being  and  doing.     How  that  none  strips  off 
These  sad  delights  and  pleasant  griefs  who  lacks 
Knowledge  to  know  them  snares  ;  but  he  who  knows 
Avidya — Delusion — sets  those  snares, 
Loves  life  no  longer  but  ensues  escape. 


BOOK    THE   SI»%^ji_0xi^<J^^;<^ir9 

The  eyes  of  such  a  one  are  wide,  he  sees 
Delusion  breeds  Sankhdra,  Tendency 
Perverse  :  Tendency  Energy — Vidnndn — 
Whereby  comes  NamariSpa,  local  form. 
And  name  and  bodiment,  bringing  the  man 
With  senses  naked  to  the  sensible, 
A  helpless  mirror  of  all  shows  which  pass- 
Across  his  heart  ;  and  so  Vedand  grows— 
"Sense-life  " — false  in  its  gladness,  fell  in  sadness,^ 
But  sad  or  glad,  the  Mother  of  Desire, 
Trishnd,  that  thirst  wliich  makes  the  living  drink  ' 
Deeper  and  deeper  of  the  false  salt  waves    . 
Whereon  they  float,  pleasures,  ambitions,  wealth,. 
Praise,  fame,  or  domination,  conquest,  love  ;  . 
Rich  meats  and  robes,  and  fair  abodes,  and  pride- 
Of  ancient  lines,  and  lust  of  days,  and  strife  . 
To  live,  and  sins  that  flow  from  strife,  some  sweet; 
Some  bitter.     Thus  Life's  thirst  quenches  itself' 
With  draughts  which  double  thirst,  but  who  is  wise- 
Tears  from  his  soul  this  Trishnd,  feeds  his  sense 
No  longer  on  false  shows,  files  his  firm  mind  . 
To  seek  not,  strive  not,  wrong  not  ;  bearing. meek 
AH  ills  which  flow  from  foregone  wrongfulness. 
And  so  constraining  passions  that  they  die' 
Famished  ;  till  all  the  sum  of  ended  life-:- 
The  Karmd'* — all  that  total  of  a  soul    . 
Which  is  the  things  it  did,  the  thoughts  it  had. 
The  "  Self  "  it  wove — with  woof  of  viewless  time, 
Crossed  on  the  warp  invisible  of  acts — 
The  outcome  of  him  on  the  Universe, 
Grows  pure  and  sinless  ;  either  never  more 


I20  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Needing  to  find  a  body  and  a  place, 

Or  so  informing  what  fresh  frame  it  takes 

In  new  existence  that  the  new  toils  prove 

Lighter  and  lighter  not  to  be  at  all, 

Thus  "  finishing  the  Path  ;  "  free  from  Earth's  cheats  ; 

Released  from  all  the  skandhas  "  of  the  flesh  ; 

Broken  from  ties — from  Upadans^ — saved 

From  whirling  on  the  wheel  ;  aroused  and  sane 

As  is  a  man  wakened  from  hateful  dreams. 

Until — greater  than  Kings,  than  Gods  more  glad  !  — 

The  aching  craze  to  live  ends,  and  life  glides — 

Lifeless — to  nameless  quiet,  nameless  joy, 

Blessed  nirvana'" — sinless,  stirless  rest — 

That  change  which  never  changes  ! 

Lo  !  the  Dawn 
Sprang  with  Buddh's  Victory  !  lo  !  in  the  East 
Flamed  the  first  fires  of  beauteous  day,  poured  forth 
Through  fleeting  folds  of  Night's  black  drapery. 
High  in  the  widening  blue  the  herald-star 
Faded  to  paler  silver  as  there  shot 
Brighter  and  brightest  bars  of  rosy  gleam 
Across  the  gray.     Far  off  the  shadowy  hills 
Saw  the  great  Sun,  before  the  world  was  'ware, 
And  donned  their  crowns  of  crimson  ;  flower  by  flower 
Felt  the  warm  breath  of  Morn  and  'gan  t'  unfold 
Their  tender  lids.     Over  the  spangled  grass 
Swept  the  swift  footsteps  of  the  lovely  Light, 
Turning  the  tears  of  Night  to  joyous  gems. 
Decking  the  earth  with  radiance,  'broidering 
The  sinking  storm-clouds  with  a  golden  fringe. 


BOOK    THE   SIXTH. 

Gilding  the  feathers  of  the  palms,  which  waved 
Glad  salutation  ;  darting  beams  of  gold 
Into  the  glades  ;  touching  with  magic  wand 
The  streanr  to  rippled  ruby  ;  in  the  brake , 
Finding  the  mild  eyes  of  the  antelopes    • 
And  saying  "  it  is  day  ; "  in  nested  sleep  . 
Touching  the  small  heads  under  many  a  wing 
And  whispering,  "Children,  praise  the  light  of  day.!" 
Whereat  there  piped  anthems  of  all  the  birds,     • 
The  Koil's"  fluted  song,  the  Bulbul's"  hymn,. 
The  "  morning,  morning  "  of  the  painted  thrush. 
The  twitter  of  the  sun-birds  starting  forth 
To  find  the  honey  ere  the  bees  be  out, 
The  gray  crow's  caw,  the  parrot's  scream,  the  strokes 
Of  the  green  hammersmith,  the  myna's"  chirp, 
The  never  finished  love-talk  of  the  doves  : 
Yea  !  and  so  holy  was  the  influence 
Of  that  high  Dawn  which  came  with  victory 
That,  far  and  near,  in  homes  of  men  there  spread 
An  unknown  peace.     The  slayer  hid  his  knife  ; 
The  robber  laid  his  plunder  back  ;  the  shroff 
Counted  full  tale  of  coins  ;  all  evil  hearts 
Grew  gentle,  kind  hearts  gentler,  as  the  balm 
Of  that  divinest  Daybreak  lightened  Earth. 
Kings  at  fierce  war  called  truce  ;  the  sick  men  leaped 
Laughing  from  beds  of  pain  ;  the  dying  smiled 
As  though  they  knew  that  happy  Morn  was  sprung 
From  fountains  farther  than  the  utmost  East  ; 
I  And  o'er  the  heart  of  sad  Yas5dhara, 
'  Sitting  forlorn  at  Prince  Siddartha's  bed. 
Came  sudden  bliss,  as  if  love  should  not  fail 


THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 


Nor  such  vast  sorrow  miss  to  end  in  joy. 
So  glad  the  World  was— though  it  wist  not  why— 
That  over  desolate  wastes  went  swooning  songs 
Of  mirth,  the  voice  of  bodiless  Prets"  and  Bhiits" 
Foreseeing  Buddh  ;  and  Devas  in  the  air 
Cried  "  It  is  finished,  finished  !  "  and  the  priests     ' 
Stood  with  the  wondering  people  in  the  streets 
Watching  those  golden  splendors  flood  the  sky 
And  saying  "  There  hath  happed  some  mighty  thing.' 
Also  in  Ran"  and  Jungle"  grew  that  day 
Friendship  amongst  the  creatures  ;  spotted  deer 
Browsed  fearless  where  the  tigress  fed  her  cubs, 
And  cheetahs"  lapped  the  pool  beside  the  buck* ' 
Under  the  eagle's  rock  the  brown  hares  scoured 
AVhile  his  fierce  beak  but  preened  an  idle  wirg  ; 
The  snake  sunned  all  his  jewels  in  the  beam 
With  deadly  fangs  in  sheath  ;  the  shrike  let  pass 
The  nestling-finch  ;  the  emerald  halcyons 
Sate  dreaming  while  the  fishes  played  beneath, 
Nor  hawked  the  merops,  though  the  butterflies- 
Crimson  and  blue  and  amber— flitted  thick 
Around  his  perch  ;  the  Spirit  of  our  Lord 
Lay  potent  upon  man  and  bird  and  beast. 
Even  while  he  mused  under  that  Bodhi-tree," 
Glorified  with  the  Conquest  gained  for  aU 
And  lightened  by  a  Light  greater  than  Day's. 

Then  ne  arose — radiant,  rejoicing,  strong — 
Beneath  the  Tree,  and  lifting  high  his  voice 
Spake  this,  in  hearing  of  all  Times  and  Worlds  ;— 


BOOK    THE   SIXTH. 

An/kajdtisangsiirang 
Sandhdwissang  anibhisang 
Gahakdrakangawesanto 
Dukkhdjdtipunappunang. 

Gahakdrakadithdsi  ; 
Punagehang  nakdhasi  ; 
Sabhdtephdsukhdbhaggd, 
Gahakiitangti'isang  khitang  ; 
Wisangkhdragatang  chittang  j 
Janhdnangkhayamajhagd. 

Many  a  House  of  Life 
Hath  held  me — seeking  ever  him  who  wrought 
These  prisons  of  the  senses,  sorrow  fraught  ; 

Sore  was  my  ceaseless  strife  ! 

But  now, 
Thou  Builder  of  this  Tahernacle — Thou  ! 
I  KNOW  Thee  !     Never  shalt  thou  build  again 

These  walls  of  pain, 
Nor  raise  the  roof-tree  of  deceits,  nor  lay 

Fresh  rafters  on  the  clay  ; 
Broken  thy  house  is,  and  the  ridge-pole  split  ! 

Delusion  fashioned  it  ! 
Safe  pass  I  thence — deliverance  to  obtain." 


Book  t\)e  Setjentl). 


Sorrowful  dwelt  the  King  Suddhodana 
All  those  long  years  among  the  Sakya  Lords 
Lacking  the  speech  and  presence  of  his  Son  ; 
Sorrowful  sate  the  sweet  Yasbdhara 
All  those  long  years,  knowing  no  joy  of  life, 
Widowed  of  him  her  living  Liege  and  Prince 
And  ever,  on  the  news  of  some  recluse 
Seen  far  away  by  pasturing  camel-men 
Or  traders  treading  devious  paths  for  gain, 
Messengers  from  the  King  had  gone  and  come 
Bringing  account  of  many  a  holy  sage 
Lonely  and  lost  to  home  ;  but  nought  of  him 
The  crown  of  white  Kapila^astu's  line, 
The  glory  of  her  monarch  and  his  hope. 
The  heart's  content  of  sweet  Yasodhara, 
Far-wandered  now,  forgetful,  changed,  or  dead. 

But  on  a  day  in  the  Wasanta-time,' 
When  silver  sprays  swing  on  the  mango-trees 
And  all  the  earth  is  clad  with  garb  of  spring, 
The  Princess  sate  by  tliat  bright  garden-stream 
Whose  gliding  glass,  bordered  with  lotus-cups, 


BOOK    THE    SEVENTH. 

Mirrored  so  often  in  the  bliss  gone  by 

Their  clinging  hands  and  meeting  lips.      Her  lids 

Were  wan  with  tears,  her  tender  checks  had  thinned 

Her  lips'  delicious  curves  were  drawn  with  grief  ; 

The  lustrous  glory  of  her  hair  was  hid — 

Close-bound  as  widows  use  ;  no  ornament 

She  wore,  nor  any  jewel  clasped  the  cloth — 

Coarse,  and  of  mourning-white — crossed  on  her  brca 

Slow  moved  and  painfully  those  small  fine  feet 

Which  had  the  roe's  gait  and  the  rose-leafs  fall 

In  old  years  at  the  loving  voice  of  him. 

Her  eyes,  those  lamps  of  love, — which  were  as  if 

Sunlight  should  shine  from  out  the  deepest  dark. 

Illumining  Night's  peace  with  Daytime's  glow — 

Unlighted  now,  and  roving  aimlessly. 

Scarce  marked  the  clustering  signs  of  coming  Spring 

So  the  silk  lashes  drooped  over  their  orbs. 

In  one  hand  was  a  girdle  thick  with  pearls, 

Siddirtha's — treasured  since  that  night  he  fled — 

(.\h,  bitter  Night  !  mother  of  weeping  days  ! 

When  was  fond  Love  so  pitiless  to  love 

Save  that  this  scorned  to  limit  love  by  life  ?) 

The  other  led  her  little  son,  a  boy 

Divin.-ly  fair,  the  pledge  Siddartha  left — 

Named  Rahula — now  seven  years  old,  who  tripped 

Gladsome  beside  his  mother,  light  of  heart 

To  see  the  spring-blooms  burgeon  o'er  the  world. 

So  while  they  lingered*by  the  lotus-pools 
.\nd,  lightly  laughing,  Rahula  flung  rice 
To  feed  the  blue  and  purple  fish  ;  and  she 


126  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

With  sad  eyes  watched  the  swiftly-flying  cranes, 

Sighing,  "  Oh  !  creatures  of  the  wandering  wing, 

If  ye  shall  light  where  my  dear  Lord  is  hid, 

Say  that  Yasodhara  lives  nigh  to  death 

For  one  word  of  his  mouth,  one  touch  of  him  !  " — 

So,  as  they  played  and  sighed — mother  and  child — 

Came  some  among  the  damsels  of  the  Court 

Saying,  "  Great  Princess  !  there  have  entered  in 

At  the  south  gate  merchants  of  Hastinpiir' 

Tripusha  called  and  Bhalluk,  men  of  worth. 

Long  traveled  from  the  loud  sea's  edge,  who  bring 

Mavelous  lovely  webs  pictured  with  gold, 

Waved  blades  of  gilded  steel,  wrought  bowls  in  brass, 

Cut  ivories,  spice,  simples,  and  unknown  birds, 

Treasures  of  far-off  peoples  ;  but  they  bring 

That  which  doth  beggar  these,  for  He  is  seen  ! 

Thy  Lord, — our  Lord, — the  hope  of  all  the  land — 

Siddartha  !  they  have  seen  him  face  to  face, 

Yea,  and  have  worshiped  him  with  knees  and  brows. 

And  offered  offerings  ;  for  he  is  become 

All  which  was  shown,  a  teacher  of  the  wise. 

World-honored,  holy,  wonderful  ;  a  Buddh 

Who  doth  deliver  men  and  save  all  flesh 

By  sweetest  speech  and  pity  vast  as  Heaven  : 

And,  lo  !  he  journeyeth  hither  these  do  say." 

Then — while  the  glad  blood  bounded  in  her  veins 
As  Gunga  leaps  when  first  the  mountain  snows 
Melt  at  her  springs — uprose  Ya?6dhara 
And  clapped   her   palms,  and   laughed,   with   brimming 
tears 


BOOK    THE  SEVENTH.  i 

Beading  her  lashes.     "Oh!  call  quick,"  she  cried, 
"  These  merchants  to  my  purddh,'  for  mine  ears 
Thirst  like  parched  throats  to  drink  their  blessed  news. 
Go  bring  tlicm  in, — but  if  their  tale  be  true, 
Say  I  will  fill  their  girdles  with  much  gold, 
With  gems  that  Kings  shall  envy  :  come  ye  too, 
My  girls,  for  ye  shall  have  guerdon  of  this 
If  there  be  gifts  to  speak  my  grateful  heart." 

So  went  those  merchants  to  the  Pleasure-House, 
Full  softly  pacing  through  its  golden  ways 
With  naked  feet,*  amid  the  peering  maids, 
Much  wondering  at  the  glories  of  the  Court. 
Whom,  when  they  came  without  the  purddh's  folds,' 
A  voice,  tender  and  eager,  filled  and  charmed 
With  trembling  music,  saying,  "  Ye  are  come 
From  far,  fair  Sirs  !  and  ye  have  seen  my  Lord — 
Yea,  worshiped — for  he  is  become  a  Buddh, 
World-honored,  holy,  and  delivers  men, 
And  joumcyeth  hither.     Speak  !  for,  if  this  be, 
Friends  are  ye  of  my  House,  welcome  and  dear." 

Then  answer  made  Tripusha,  "  We  have  seen 
That  sacred  Master,  Princess  !  we  have  bowed 
Before  his  feel  ;  for  who  was  lost  a  Prince 
Is  found  a  greater  than  the  King  of  kings. 
Under  the  B6dh(-tree*  by  PhalgO's  bank 
That  which  shall  save  the  world  hath  late  been  wrought 
By  him — the  Friend  of  all,  the  Prince  of  all — 
Thine  most.  High  Lady  !  from  whose  tears  men  win 
The  comfort  of  this  Word  the  Master  speaks. 


128  THE   LIGHT    OF  ASIA. 

Lo  !  he  is  well,  as  one  beyond  all  ills, 

Uplifted  as  a  god  from  earthly  Tioes, 

Shining  with  risen  Truth,  golden  and  clear. 

Moreover  as  he  entereth  town  by  town, 

Preaching  those  noble  ways  which  lead  to  peace, 

The  hearts  of  men  follow  his  path  as  leaves 

Troop  to  wind  or  sheep  draw  after  one 

Who  knows  the  pastures.     We  ourselves  have  heard 

By  Gdya  in  the  green  Tchirnika'  grove 

Those  wondrous  lips  and  done  them  reverence  : 

He  Cometh  hither  ere  the  first  rains  fall." 

Thus  spake  he,  and  Yasodhara,  for  joy. 
Scarce  mastered  breath  to  answer,  "  Be  it  well 
Now  and  at  all  times  with  ye,  worthy  friends  ! 
Who  bring  good  tidings  ;  but  of  this  great  thing 
Wist  ye  how  it  befell  ?  " 

Then  Bhalluk  told* 
Such  as  the  people  of  the  valleys  knew 
Of  that  dread  night  of  conflict,  when  the  air 
Darkened  with  fiendish  shadows,  and  the  earth 
Quaked,  and  the  waters  swelled  with  Mara's  wrath.^ 
Also  how  gloriously  that  morning  broke 
Radiant  with  rising  hopes  for  man,  and  how 
The  Lord  was  found  rejoicing  'neath  his  Tree. 
But  many  days  the  burden  of  release — 
To  be  escaped  beyond  all  storms  of  doubt, 
Safe  on  Truth's  shore — lay,  spake  he,  on  that  heart 
A  golden  load  ;  for  how  shall  men — Buddh  mused— 
Who  love  their  sins  and  cleave  to  cheats  of  sense. 
And  drink  of  error  from  a  thousand  springs — 


BOOK    THE   SEVENTH.  I: 

Having  no  mind  to  see,  nor  strength  to  break 

The  fleshly  snare  which  binds  them — how  should  such 

Receive  the  Twelve  Niddnas'  and  the  Law 

Redeeming  all,  yet  strange  to  profit  by. 

As  the  caged  bird  oft  shuns  its  opened  door  ? 

So  had  we  missed  the  helpful  victory 

If,  in  this  earth  without  a  refuge,  Buddh 

Winning  tlie  way,  had  deemed  it  all  too  hard 

For  mortal  feet,  and  passed,  none  following  him. 

Vet  pondered  the  compassion  of  our  Lord, 

But  in  that  hour  there  rang  a  voice  as  sharp 

As  cry  of  travail,  so  as  if  the  earth 

Moaned  in  birth-throe  "  Ncsyami  aham  bhA 

Nasyati  loka  !  "  Surely  I  am  lost, 

I  .AND  MY  CREATURES  :  then  a  pause,  and  next, 

.\  pleading  sigh  borne  on  the  western  wind, 

"  Sruyatdm  dliarma,  Bluii^ivat !"     Oh,  Supreme  ! 

Let  thy  great  Law  be  uttered  !     Whereupon 

The  Master  cast  his  vision  forth  on  flesh. 

Saw  who  should  hear  and  who  must  wait  to  hear, 

As  the  keen  Sun  gilding  the  lotus-lakes 

Seeth  which  buds  will  open  to  his  beams 

And  which  are  not  yet  risen  from  their  roots  ; 

Then  spake,  divinely  smiling,  "  Yea  !  I  preach  ! 

Whoso  will  listen  let  him  learn  the  Law." 

Afterwards  passed  he,  said  they,  by  the  hills 
Unto  Bendres,  where  he  taught  the  Five,'" 
Showing  how  birth  and  death  should  be  destroyed. 
And  how  man  hath  no  fate  except  pa^t  deeds, 


130  THE    LIGHT   OF    ASIA. 

JNo  Hell  but  what  he  makes,  no  Heaven  too  high 
/For  those  to  reach  whose  passions  sleep  subdued 
This  was  the  fifteenth  day  of  Vaishya" 
Mid-afternoon  and  that  night  was  full  moon. 

But,  of  the  Rishis,"  first  Kaundinya 
Owned  the  Four  Truths"  and  entered  on  the  Paths  ; 
And  after  him  Bhadraka,  Asvajit, 
Basava,  Mahanama  ;  also  there 
Within  the  Deer-park,  at  the  feet  of  Buddh, 
Yasad  the  Prince"  with  nobles  fifty-four 
Hearing  the  blessed  word  our  Master  spake 
Worshiped  and  followed  ;  for  there  sprang  up  peace 
And  knowledge  of  a  new  time  come  for  men 
In  all  who  heard,  as  spring  the  flowers  and  grass 
When  water  sparkles  through  a  sandy  plain. 

These  sixty — said  they — did  our  Lord  send  forth. 
Made  perfect  in  restraint  and  passion-free. 
To  teach  the  Way  ;  but  the  World-honored  turned 
South  from  the  Deer-park  and  Isipatan 
To  Yashti  and  King  Bimbsara's  realm. 
Where  many  days  he  taught  ;  and  after  these 
King  Bimbsara  and  his  folk  believed. 
Learning  the  law  of  love  and  ordered  life. 
Also  he  gave  the  Master,  of  free  gift, — 
Pouring  forth  water  on  the  hands  of  Buddh — 
The  Bamboo-Garden,  named  Weluvana, 
Wherein  are  streams  and  caves  and  lovely  glades  ; 
And  the  King  set  a  stone  there,  carved  with  this  : — 


BOOK    THE   SKVENTH. 

jy  dharma  hetuppabhawa 

Yesan  ht'tun  Taihd^ato  ; 
Aha  yesan  cha  yo  nirodhiS 
Ewan  wadi  Malta  samano. 

"  What  life's  course  and  cause  sustain 
These  Tathdgato  made  plain  ; 
What  delivers  from  life's  woe 
That  our  Lord  hath  made  us  know." 

And,  in  that  Garden — said  they — there  was  held 
A  high  Assembly,  where  the  Teacher  spake 
Wisdom  and  power,  winning  all  souls  which  heard, 
So  that  nine  hundred  took  the  yellow  robe — 
Such  as  the  Master  wears, — and  spread  his  Law ; 
And  this  the  gdthd  "  was  wherewith  he  closed  : — 

Sabba  pdpassa  akaranan; 
Kusalassa  upasampadd  ; 
Sa  chitta  pariyodapanan  ; 
Etan  Budhdnusdsanan. 

"  Evil  swells  the  debts  to  pay, 
Good  delivers  and  acquits  ; 
Shun  evil,  follow  good  ;  hold  sway 
Over  thyself.     This  is  the  Way." 

Whom,  when  they  ended,  speaking  so  of  him, 
With  gifts,  and  thanks  which  made  the  jewels  dull, 
The  Princess  recompensed.     "  But  by  what  road 
Wcndeth  my  Lord  ?  "  she  asked  :  the  merchants  said, 
"  Y6jans  "  three-score  stretch  from  the  city-w.nlls 


I_J2  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

To  Rdjdgriha,  whence  the  easy  path 
Passeth  by  Sona  "  hither  and  the  hills. 
Our  oxen,  treading  eight  slow  kos  "  a  day, 
Came  in  one  moon." 

Then  the  King  hearing  word. 
Sent  nobles  of  the  Court — well-mounted  lords — 
Nine  separate  messengers,  each  embassy 
Bidden  to  say,   "  The  King  Suddhodana — 
Nearer  the  pyre  by  seven  long  years  of  lack. 
Wherethrough  he  hath  not  ceased  to  seek  for  thee — 
Prays  of  his  son  to  come  unto  his  own, 
The  Throne  and  people  of  this  longing  Realm, 
Lest  he  shall  die  and  see  thy  face  no  more." 
Also  nine  horsemen  sent  Yasbdhara 
Bidden  to  say,  "  The  Princess  of  thy  House — 
Rahula's  mother  " — craves  to  see  thy  face 
As  the  night-blowing  moon-flower's  swelling  heart  '■* 
Pines  for  the  moon,  as  pale  asoka-buds '' 
Wait  for  a  woman's  foot  :  if  thou  hast  found 
More  than  was  lost,  she  prays  her  part  in  this, 
Rahula's  part,  but  most  of  all  thyself." 
So  sped  the  Sdkya  Lords,  but  it  befell 
That  each  one,  with  the  message  in  his  mouth, 
Entered  the  Bamboo-Garden  in  that  hour 
When  Buddha  taught  his  Law  ;  and — hearing — each 
Forgot  to  speak,  lost  thought  of  King  and  quest. 
Of  the  sad  Princess  even  ;  only  gazed 
Eye-rapt  upon  the  Master  ;  only  hung 
Heart-caught  upon  the  speech,  compassionate, 
Commanding,  perfect,  pure,  enlightening  all. 
Poured  from  those  sacred  lips.     Look  !  like  a  bee 


fl 


BOOK    THE   SEVENTH. 

Winged  for  the  hive,  who  sees  the  mogrds"  spread 

And  icents  their  utter  sweetness  on  the  air, 

If  he  be  honey-filled,  it  matters  not ; 

If  night  be  nigh,  or  rain,  he  will  not  heed  ; 

Needs  must  he  light  on  those  delicious  blooms 

And  drain  their  nectar  ;  so  these  messengers 

( )ne  with  another,  hearing  Buddha's  words, 

Let  go  the  puriiose  of  their  speed,  and  mixed, 

Heedless  of  all,  amid  the  Master's  train. 

Wherefore  the  King  bade  that  Udayi"  go — 

Chiefest  in  all  the  Court,  and  faithfulest, 

Siddartha's  playmate  in  the  happier  days — 

Who,  as  he  drew  anear  the  garden,  plucked 

Blown  tufts  of  tree-wool  **  from  the  grove  and  sealed 

The  entrance  of  his  hearing  ;  thus  he  came 

Safe  through  the  lofty  peril  of  the  place 

And  told  the  message  of  the  King,  and  her's. 

Then  meekly  bowed  his  head  and  spake  our  Lord 
Before  the  people,  "Surely  I  shall  go  ! 
It  is  my  duty  as  it  was  my  will; 
Let  no  man  miss  to  render  reverence 
To  those  who  lend  him  life,  whereby  come  means 
To  live  and  die  no  more,  but  safe  attain 
iilissful  Nirvdna,"  if  ye  keep  the  Law, 
Purging  past  wrongs  and  adding  nought  thereto, 
Complete  in  love  and  lovely  charities. 
Let  the  King  know  and  let  the  Princess  hear 
I  take  the  way  forthwith."     This  told,  the  folk 
Of  white  Kapitavastu  and  its  fields 
Made  ready  for  the  entrance  of  their  Prince. 


134 


THE    LIGHT   OF    ASIA. 


At  the  south  gate  a  bright  pavilion  rose 

With  flower-wreathed  pillars  and  the  walls  of  silk 

Wrought  on  their  red  and  green  with  woven  gold. 

Also  the  roads  were  laid  with  scented  boughs 

Of  neem"  and  mango,"  and  full  masakhs'^  shed 

Sandal  and  jasmine  on  the  dust,  and  flags 

Fluttered  ;  and  on  the  day  when  he  should  come 

It  was  ordained  how  many  elephants — 

With  silver  howdahs^  and  their  tusks  gold-tipped — 

Should  wait  beyond  the  ford,  and  where  the  drums 

Should  boom  "  Siddartha  cometh  !  "  where  the  lords 

Should  light  and  worship,  and  the  dancing-girls 

Where  they  should  strew  their  flowers  with  dance  and  song 

So  that  the  steed  he  rode  might  tramp  knee-deep 

In  rose  and  balsam,  and  the  ways  be  fair  ; 

While  the  town  rang  with  music  and  high  joy. 

This  was  ordained,  and  all  men's  ears  were  pricked 

Dawn  after  dawn  to  catch  the  first  drum's  beat 

Announcing,  "  Now  he  cometh  !  " 

But  it  fell- 
Eager  to  be  before — Yasbdhara 
Rode  in  her  litter  to  the  city-walls      \ 
Where  soared  the  bright  pavilion.     AlV  around 
A  beauteous  garden  smiled — Nigrodha*"  named — 
Shaded  with  bel-trees"  and  the  green-plumed  dates, 
New-trimmed  and  gay  with  winding  walks  and  banks 
Of  fruits  and  flowers  ;  for  the  southern  road 
Skirted  its  lawns,  on  this  hand  leaf  and  bloom. 
On  that  the  suburb-huts  where  base-boms  dwelt 
Outside  the  gates,  a  patient  folk  and  poor, 
Whose  touch  for  Kshatriya"  and  priest  of  Brahm 


BOOK    THE   SEVENTH. 

Were  sore  defilement.     Yet  those,  too,  were  quick 
With  expectation,  rising  ere  the  dawn 
To  peer  along  the  road,  to  climb  the  trees 
At  far-off  trumpet  of  some  elephant,  , 

Or  Etir  of  temple-drum  ;  and  when  none  came, 
Busied  with  lowly  chares''  to  please  the  Prince  ; 
Sweeping  their  door-stones,  setting  forth  their  flags, 
Stringing  the  fluted  fig-leaves  into  chains, 
New  furbishing  the  Lingam,**  decking  new 
Yesterday's  faded  arch  of  boughs,  but  aye 
Questioning  wayfarers  if  any  noise 
Be  on  the  road  of  great  Siddartha.     These 
The  Princess  marked  with  lovely  languid  eyes. 
Watching,  as  they,  the  southward  plain,  and  bent 
Like  them  to  listen  if  the  passers  gave 
News  of  the  path.     So  fell  it  she  beheld 
One  slow  approaching  with  his  head  close  shorn, 
A  yellow  cloth  over  his  shoulder  cast, 
(iirt  as  the  liermits  are,  and  in  his  hand 
.\n  earthen  bowl,  shaped  mclonwise,  the  which 
Meekly  at  each  hut-door  lie  held  a  space. 
Taking  the  granted  dole  with  gentle  thanks 
And  all  as  gently  passing  where  none  gave. 
Two  followed  him  wearing  the  yellow  robe. 
But  he  who  bore  the  bowl  so  lordly  ^-emed. 
So  reverend,  and  with  such  a  passage  moved, 
With  so  commanding  presence  filled  the  air, 
With  such  sweet  eyes  of  holiness  smote  all, 
riiat  as  they  reached  him  alms  the  givers  gazed 
Awestruck  upon  his  face,  and  some  bent  down 
In  worship,  and  some  ran  to  fetch  fresh  gifts, 


136  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Grieved  to  be  poor  ;  till  slowly,  group  by  group, 

Children  and  men  and  women  drew  behind 

Into  his  steps,  whispering  with  covered  lips, 

"  Who  is  he  ?  who  ?  when  looked  a  Rishi "  thus  ? " 

But  as  he  came  with  quiet  footfall  on 

Nigh  the  pavilion,  lo  !  the  silken  door 

Lifted,  and,  all  unveiled,  Yasodhara 

Stood  in  his  path  crying,  "  Siddartha  !  Lord  !  " 

With  wide  eyes  streaming  and  with  close-clasped  hands, 

Then  sobbing  fell  upon  his  feet,  and  lay. 

Afterwards,  when  this  weeping  lady  passed 
Into  the  Noble  Paths,''  and  one  had  prayed 
Answer  from  Buddha  wherefore — being  vowed 
Quit' of  all  mortal  passion  and  the  touch. 
Flower-soft  and  conquering,  of  a  woman's  hands — 
He  suffered  such  embrace,  the  Master  said  : 

Iff  The  greater  beareth  with  the  lesser  love 

l/%o  it  may  raise  it  unto  easier  heights. 
Take  heed  that  no  man,  being  'scaped  from  bonds, 
Vexeth  bound  souls  with  boasts  of  liberty. 

'/Free  are  ye  rather  that  your  freedom  spread 
By  patient  winning  and  sweet  wisdom's  skill. 
Three  eras  of  long  toil  bring  Bodhisats" — 
Who  will  be  guidesj^nd  help  this  darkling  world — 
Unto  deliverance,  and  the  first  is  named 
Of  deep  '  Resolve,'  the  second  of  'Attempt,' 
The  third  of  '  Nomination.'     Lo  !  I  lived 
In  era  of  Resolve,  desiring  good. 
Searching  for  wisdom,  but  mine  eyes  were  sealed 
Count  the  gray  seeds  on  yonder  castor-clump, 


BOOK    THE    SEVENTH.  I 

So  many  rains  it  is  since  I  was  Ram, 

A  merchant  of  the  codst  which  looketh  south 

To  Lankd**  and  the  hiding  place  of  pearls. 

Also  in  that  far  time  Yas6dhara 

Dwelt  with  me  in  our  village  by  the  sea, 

Tender  as  now,  and  Lakshmi  was  her  name. 

And  I  remember  how  I  journeyed  thence 

Seeking  our  gain,  for  poor  the  household  was 

And  lowly.     Not  the  less  with  wistful  tears 

She  prayed  me  that  I  should  not  part,  nor  tempt 

Perils  by  land  and  water.     '  How  could  love 

Leave  what  it  loved  ? '  she  wailed  ;  yet,  venturing,  I 

Passed  to  the  Straits,  and  after  storm  and  toil 

And  deadly  strife  with  creatures  of  the  deep. 

And  woes  beneath  the  midnight  and  the  noon. 

Searching  the  wave  I  won  therefrom  a  pearl 

Moonlike  and  glorious,  such  as  Kings  might  buy 

Emptying  their  treasury.     Then  came  I  glad 

Unto  mine  hills,  but  over  all  that  land 

Famine  spread  sore  ;  ill  was  I  stead  to  live 

In  journey  home,  and  hardly  reached  my  door — 

.Aching  for  food — with  that  white  wealth  of  the  sea 

Tied  in  my  girdle.     Yet  no  food  was  there  ; 

.-\nd  on  the  threshold  she  for  whom  I  toiled — 

More  than  myself — lay  with  her  speechless  lips 

Nigh  unto  death  for  one  small  gift  of  grain. 

Then  cried  I,  '  If  there  be  who  hath  of  grain, 

H  tl-  is  a  kingdom's  ransom  for  one  life  : 

Clive  Lakshmi  bread  and  take  my  moonlight  pearl. 

Whereat  one  brought  the  last  of  all  his  hoard, 

Millet — three  seers'* — and  clutched  the  beauteous  thing. 


138  THE    LIGHT    OF     ASIA. 

But  Lakshmi  lived  and  sighed  with  gathered  life, 
'  Lo  !  thou  didst  love  indeed  ! '     I  spent  my  pearl 
Well  in  that  life  to  comfort  heart  and  mind 
Else  quite  uncomforted,  but  these  pure  pearls, 
My  last  large  gain,  won  from  a  deeper  wave — 
The  Twelve  Niddnas*  and  the  Law  of  Good— 
Cannot  be  spent,  nor  dimmed,  and  most  fulfill 
Their  perfect  beauty  being  freeliest  given. 
For  like  as  is  to  Meru*'  yonder  hill 
Heaped  by  the  little  ants,  and  like  as  dew 
Dropped  in  the  footmark  of  a  bounding  roe 
Unto  the  shoreless  seas,  so  was  that  gift 
Unto  my  present  giving  ;  and  so  love — 
Vaster  in  being  free  from  toils  of  sense — 
Was  wisest  stooping  to  the  weaker  heart  ; 
And  so  the  feet  of  sweet  Yas6dhara 
Passed  into  peace  and  bliss,  being  softly  led."" 

But  when  the  King  heard  how  Siddartha  came 
Shorn,  with  the  mendicant's  sad-colored  cloth, 
And  stretching  out  a  bowl  to  gather  orts 
From  base-boms'  leavings,  wrathful  sorrow  drove 
Love  from  his  heart.     Thrice  on  the  ground  he  spat, 
Plucked  at  his  silvered  beard,  and  strode  straight  fortl-- 
Lackeyed  by  trembling  lords.     Frowning  he  clcmb 
Upon  his  war-horse,  drove  the  spurs,  and  dashed, 
Angered,  through  wondering  streets  and  lanes  of  folk, 
Scarce  finding  breath  to  say,  "  The  King  !  bow  down  ! 
Ere  the  loud  cavalcade  had  clattered  by  : 
Which — at  the  turning  by  the  Temple-wall 
Where  the  south  gate  was  seen — encountered  full 


BOOK    THE   SEVENTH.  139 

A  mighty  crowd  ;  to  every  edge  of  it 

Poured  fast  more  people,  till  the  roads  were  lost, 

Blotted  by  that  huge  company  which  thronged 

And  grew,  close  following  him  whose  look  serene 

Met  the  old  King's.     Nor  lived  the  father's  wrath 

Longer  than  while  the  gentle  eyes  of  Buddh 

Lingered  in  worship  on  his  troubled  brows, 

Then  downcast  sank,  with  His  true  knee,  to  earth 

In  proud  humility.    So  dear  it  seemed 

To  see  the  Prince,  to  know  him  whole,  to  mark 

That  glory  greater  than  of  earthly  state 

Crowning  his  head,  that  majesty  which  brought 

All  men,  so  awed  and  silent,  in  his  steps. 

Nathless  the  King  broke  forth,  "  Ends  it  in  this 

That  great  Siddartha  steals  into  his  realm, 

Wrapped  in  a  clout,  shorn,  sandaled,  craving  food 

Of  low-borns,  he  whose  life  jvas  as  a  God's  ? 

My  son  !  heir  of  this  spacious  power,  and  heir 

Of  Kings  who  did  but  clap  their  palms  to  have 

What  earth  could  give  or  eager  service  bring  ? 

Thou  should'st  have  come  appareled  in  thy  rank, 

With  shining  spears  and  tramp  of  horse  and  foot. 

Lo  !  all  my  soldiers  camped  upon  the  road, 

.•\nd  all  my  city  waited  at  the  gates  ; 

Where  hast  thou  sojourned  through  these  evil  years 

Whilst  thy  crowned  father  mourned  ?  and  she,  too,  there 

Lived  as  the  widows  use,  foregoing  joys  ; 

Never  once  hearing  sound  of  song  or  string. 

Nor  wearing  once  the  festal  robe,  till  now 

When  in  her  cloth  of  gold  she  welcomes  home 

A  beggar  spouse  in  yellow  remnants  clad. 


I40  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Son  !  why  is  this  ?  " 

"  My  Father  !  "  came  reply, 
"  It  is  the  custom  of  my  race." 

"  Thy  race," 
Answered  the  King,  "  counteth  a  hundred  thrones 
From  Mahdsammat,"  but  no  deed  like  this." 

"  Not  of  a  mortal  line,"  th#Master  said, 
"  I  spake,  but  of  descent  invisible, 
The  Buddhas  who  have  been  and  who  shall  be  : 
Of  these  am  I,  and  what  they  did  I  do. 
And  this  which  now  befalls  so  fell  before 
That  at  his  gate  a  King  in  warrior-mail 
Should  meet  his  son,  a  Prince  in  hermit-weeds  ; 
And  that,  by  love  and  self-control,  being  more 
Than  mightiest  Kings  in  all  their  puissance, 
The  appointed  Helper  of  the  Worlds  should  bow — 
As  now  do  I — and  with  all  lowly  love 
Proffer,  where  it  is  owed  for  tender  debts, 
The  first-fruits  of  the  treasure  he  hath  brought ; 
Which  now  I  proffer." 

Then  the  King  amazed 
{"Inquired   "What  treasure  ?  "  and  the  Teacher  took 
Meekly  the  royal  palm,  and  while  they  paced 
Through  worshiping  streets — the  Princess  and  the  King 
On  either  side — he  told  the  things  which  make 
For  peace  and  pureness,  those  Four  noble  Truths'" 
Which  hold  all  wisdom  as  shores  shut  the  seas. 
Those  eight  right  Rules'*^  whereby  who  will  may  walk — 
Monarch  or  slave — upon  the  perfect  Path 
That  hath  its  Stages  Four*"  and  Precepts  Eight," 


BOOK    THE   SEVENTH. 

Whereby  whoso  will  live — mighty  or  mean, 
Wise  or  unlearned,  man,  woman,  young  or  old — 
Shall  soon  or  late  break  from  the  wheels  of  life 
'Attaining  blest  Nirvdna.     So  they  came 
Into  the  Palace-porch,  Suddhodana 
With  brows  unknit  drinking  the  mighty  words, 
And  in  his  own  hand  carrying  Buddha's  bowl, 
Whilst  a  new  light  briglitencd  the  lovely  eyes 
Of  sweet  Yas6dhara  and  sunned  her  tears  ; 
And  that  night  entered  they  the  Way  of  Peace. 


Book  tl)C  (Sigbtl). 


A  BROAD  iread  spreads  by  swift  Kohdna's  bank 
At  Nagara  ;'  five  days  shall  bring  a  man 
In  ox-wain"  thither  from  Benares'  shrines 
Eastward  and  northward  journeying.     The  horns 
Of  white  Himala  look  upon  the  place, 
Which  all  the  year  is  glad  with  blooms  and  girt 
By  groves  made  green  from  that  bright  streamlet's  wave. 
Soft  are  its  slopes  and  cool  its  fragrant  shades, 
And  holy  all  the  spirit  of  the  spot 
Unto  this  time  :  the  breath  of  eve  comes  hushed 
Over  the  tangled  thickets,  and  high  heaps 
Of  carved  red  stones  cloven  by  root  and  stem 
Of  creeping  fig,  and  clad  with  waving  veil 
Of  leaf  and  grass.     The  still  snake  glistens  forth 
From  crumbled  work  of  lac  and  cedar-beams 
To  coil  his  folds  there  on  deep-graven  slabs  ; 
The  lizard  dwells  and  darts  o'er  painted  floors 
Where  kings  have  paced  ;  the  gray  fox  litters  safe 
Under  the  broken  thrones  ;  only  the  peaks. 
And  stream,  and  sloping  lawns,  and  gentle  air 
Abide  unchanged.     All  else,  like  all  fair  shows 
Of  life,  are  fled — for  this  is  where  it  stood, 
14Z 


BOOK    TKS  EIGHtJ. 

The  city  of  Suddhod.ina,  the  hill 
Whereon,  upon  an  eve  of  gold  and  blue 
At  sinking  sun  Lord  Buddha  set  himself 
To  teach  the  Law  in  hearing  of  his  own. 


Lo  !  ye  shall  read  it  in  the  Sacred  Books 
How,  being  met  in  that  glad  pleasaunce-place — 
A  garden  in  old  days  with  hanging  walks, 
Fountains,  and  tanks,  and  rose-banked  terraces 
Girdled  by  gay  pavilions  and  the  sweep 
Of  stately  palace-fronts — the  Master  sate 
Eminent,  worshiped,  all  the  earnest  throng 
Catching  the  opening  of  his  lips  to  learn 
That  wisdom  which  hath  made  our  Asia  mild  ; 
Whereto  four  hundred  crors'  of  living  souls 
Witness  this  day.     Upon  the  King's  right  hand 
He  sate,  and  round  were  ranged  the  Sakya  Lords 
Ananda,  Devadatta — all  the  Court. 
Behind  stood  Seriyut  and  Mugallan,  chiefs 
Of  the  calm  brethren  in  the  yellow  garb, 
A  goodly  company      Between  his  knees 
Rahula  smiled  with  wondering  childish  eyes 
Bent  on  the  awful  face,  while  at  his  feet 
Sate  sweet  Yas6dhara,  her  heartaches  gone. 
Foreseeing  that  fair  love  which  doth  not  feed 
On  fleeting  sense,  that  life  which  knows  no  age. 
That  blessed  last  of  deaths  when   Death  is  dead, 
His  victory  and  hers.     Wherefore  she  laid 
Her  hand  upon  his  h.inds,  folding  around 
Her  silver  shoulder-cloth  his  yellow  robe, 
Nearest  in  all  the  world  to  him  whose  words 


144  THE   LIGHT   OF    ASIA. 

The  Three  Worlds  waited  for.     I  cannot  tell 

A  small  part  of  the  splendid  lore  which  broke 

From  Buddha's  lips:  I  am  a  late-come  scribe 

Who  love  the  Master  and  his  love  of  men, 

And  tell  this  legend,  knowing  he  was  wise, 

But  have  not  wit  to  speak  beyond  the  books  ; 

And  time  hath  blurred  their  script  and  ancient  sense, 

Which  once  was  new  and  mighty,  moving  all. 

A  little  of  that  large  discourse  I  know 

Which  Buddha  spake  on  the  soft  Indian  eve. 

Also  I  know  it  writ  that  they  who  heard 

Were   more — lakhs*   more — crors   more — than  could   be 

seen. 
For  all  the  Devas  and  the  Dead  thronged  there. 
Till  Heaven  was  emptied  to  the  seventh  zone 
And  uttermost  dark  Hells  opened  their  bars  ; 
Also  the  daylight  lingered  past  its  time 
In  rose-leaf  radiance  on  the  watching  peaks, 
So  that  it  seemed  Night  listened  in  the  glens 
And  Noon  upon  the  mountains  ;  yea,  they  write. 
The  evening  stood  between  them  like  some  maid 
Celestial,  love-struck,  rapt  ;  tlie  smooth-rolled  clouds 
Her  braided  hair  ;  the  studded  stars  the  pearls 
And  diamonds  of  her  coronal  ;  the  moon 
Her  forehead-jewel,  and  the  deepening  dark 
Her  woven  garments.     'Twas  her  close-held  breath 
Which  came  in  scented  sighs  across  the  lawns 
While  our  Lord  taught,  and,  while  he  taught,  who  heard — 
Though  he  were  stranger  in  the  land,  or  slave, 
High  caste  or  low,  come  of  the  Aryan  blood, 
Or  Mlech'  or  Jungle-dweller — seemed  to  hear 


BOOK    THE    EIC 

What  tongue  his  fellows  talked.     Nay,  outside  those 
Who  crowded  by  the  river,  great  and  small. 
The  birds  and  beasts  and  creeping  things' — 'tis  writ — 
Had  sense  of  Buddha's  vast  embracing  love 
And  took  the  promise  of  his  piteous  speech  ; 
So  that  their  lives — prisoned  in  shape  of  ape, 
Tiger,  or  deer,  shagged  bear,  jackal,  or  wolf, 
Foul-feeding  kite,  pearled  dove,  or  peacock  gemmed. 
Squat  toad,  or  speckled  serpent,  lizard,  bat  ; 
Yea,  or  of  fish  fanning  the  river-waves — 
Touched  meekly  at  the  skirts  of  brotherhood 
With  man  who  hath  less  innocence  than  these  ; 
And  in  mute  gladness  knew  their  bondage  broke 
Whilst  Buddha  spake  these  things  before  the  King : — 


Om,'  ANfiTAYA  !'  measure  not  with  words 

Th"  Immeasurable  :  nor  sink  the  string  of  thought  ) 

Into  the  Fathomless.  Who  asks  doth  err, 
Who  answers,  errs.     Say  nought ! 

The  Books  teach  Darkness  was,  at  first  of  all, 
And  Brahm,  sole  meditating  in  that  night  : 

Look  not  for  Brahm'  and  the  Beginning  there ! 
Nor  him,  nor  any  light 

Shall  any  gazer  see  with  mortal  eyes. 
Or  any  searcher  know  by  mortal  mind  ; 

Veil  after  veil  will  lift — but  there  must  be 
Veil  upon  veil  behind 


146  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Stars  sweep  and  question  not.     This  is  enough 
That  life  and  death  and  joy  and  woe  abide  ; 

And  cause  and  sequence,  and  the  course  of  time. 
And  Being's  ceaseless  tide, 

"Which,  ever-changing,  runs,  linked  like  a  river 
By  ripples  following  ripples,  fast  or  slow — 

The  same  yet  not  the  same — from  far-off  fountain 
To  where  its  waters  flow 

Into  the  seas.     These,  steaming  to  the  Sun, 
Give  the  lost  wavelets  back  in  cloudy  fleece 

To  trickle  down  the  hills,  and  glide  again  ; 
Having  no  pause  or  peace. 

This  is  enough  to  know,  the  phantasms  are  ; 

The  Heavens,  Earths,  Worlds,  and  changes  changing 
them 
A  mighty  whirling  wheel  of  strife  and  stress 

Which  none  can  stay  or  stem. 

Pray  not !  the  darkness  will  not  brighten  !  Ask 
Nought  from  the  Silence,  for  it  cannot  speak  ! 

Vex  not  your  mournful  minds  with  pious  pains  ! 
Ah  !  Brothers,  Sisters  !   seek 

Nought  from  the  helpless  gods  by  gift  and  hymn. 
Nor  bribe  with  blood,  nor  feed  with  fruit  and  cakes  ; 

Withinyourselves  delivgianccmust  be  sought ; 
EacTTman  his  prison  maEes!^^         '~"'~*" 


BOOK    THF    EIGHTH.  I4 

Ea»h  hath  such  lordship  as  the  loftiest  ones  ; 

Nay,  for  with  Powers  above,  around,  below, 
As  with  all  flesh  and  whatsoever  lives, 

Act  maketh  joy  and  woe. 

What  hath  been  bringeth  whAt  shall  be,  and  is, 
Worse — better — last  for  first  and  first  for  last ; 

The  Angels  in  the  Heavens  of  Gladness  reap 
Fruits  of  a  holy  past. 

The  devils  in  the  underworlds  wear  out 
Deeds  that  were  wicked  in  an  age  gone  by. 

Nothing  endiues  :  fair  virtues  waste  with  time, 
Foul  sins  grow  purged  thereby. 

Who  toiled  a  slave  may  come  anew  a  Prince 

For  gentle  worthiness  and  merit  won  ; 
Who  ruled  a  King  may  wander  earth  in  rags 

For  things  done  and  undone. 

Higher  than  Indrd's"  ye  may  lift  your  lot, 
And  sink  it  lower  than  the  worm  or  gnat ; 

The  end  of  many  myriad  live;  is  this. 
The  end  of  myriids  tliat. 

Only,  while  turns  this  wheel  invisible, 

No  pause,  no  peace,  no  staying-place  can  be  ; 

Who  mounts  will  fall,  who  falls  may  mount  ;  the  spoki 
Go  round  unceasingly  ! 


r 


I4»  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

If  ye  lay  bound  upon  the  wheel  of  change, 
And  no  way  were  of  breaking  from  the  chain, 

The  Heart  of  boundless  Being  is  a  curse, 
The  Soul  of  Things  fell  Pain. 

Ye  are  not  hound  !  the  Soul  of  Things  is  sweet, 
The  Heart  of  Being  is  celestial  rest  ; 

Stronger  than  woe  is  will :  that  which  was  Good 
Doth  pass  to  Bettef^^^st. 

I,  Buddh,  who  wept  with  all  my  brothers'  tears, 
Whose  heart  v/as  broken  by  a  whole  world's  woe, 

Laugh  and  am  glad,  for  there  is  Liberty  ! 
Ho  !  ye  who  suffer  !  know 

Ye  suffer  from  yourselves.  None  else  compels. 
None  other  holds  you  that  ye  live  and  die. 

And  whirl  upon  the  wheel,  and  hug  and  kiss 
Its  spokes  of  agony, 

Its  tire  of  tears,  its  nave  of  nothingness. 

Behold,  I  show  you  Truth  !     Lower  than  hell, 
Higher  than  heaven,  outside  the  utmost  stars, 

Farther  than  Brahm  doth  dwell, 

Before  beginning,  and  without  an  end, 

As  space  eternal  and  as  surety  sure. 
Is  fixed  a  power  divine  whichmoves  to  good. 

Only  its  laws  endure. 

This  is  its  tov^h  upon  the  blossomed  rose. 
The  fashion  of  its  hand^haped  lotus-leaves; 


BOOK    THE    EIGHTH. 

In  dark  soil  and  the  silence  of  the  seeds 
The  robe  of  Spring  it  weaves  ; 

That  is  its  painting  on  the  glorious  clouds, 

And  these  its  emeralds  on  the  peacock's  train  ; 

It  hath  its  stations  in  the  stars  ;  its  slaves 
In  lightning,  wind,  and  rain. 

Out  of  the  dark  it  wrought  the  heart  of  man. 
Out  of  dull  shells  the  pheasant's  penciled  neck  ; 

Ever  at  toil,  it  brings  to  loveliness 
All  ancient  wrath  and  wreck. 

The  gray  eggs  in  the  golden  sun-bird's  nest 
Its  treasures  are,  the  bees'  six-sided  cell 

Its  honey-pot  ;  the  ant  wots  of  its  ways, 
The  white  doves  know  them  well. 

It  spreadeth  forth  for  flight  the  eagle's  wings 
What  time  she  beareth  home  her  prey  ;  it  sends 

The  she-wolf  to  her  cubs  ;  for  unloved  things 
It  findeth  food  and  friends. 

It  is  not  marred  nor  stayed  in  any  use. 

All  liketh  it ;  the  sweet  white  milk  it  brings 

To  mothers'  breasts  ;  it  brings  the  white  drops,  too, 
Wherewith  the  young  snake  stings. 

The  ordered  music  of  the  marching  orbs 
It  mikcs  in  viewless  canopy  of  sky  ; 

In  deep  abyss  of  earth  it  hides  up  gold, 
Sards,  sapphires,  lazuli. 


ISO  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Ever  and  ever  bringing  secrets  forth, 

It  sitteth  in  the  green  of  forest-glades 
Nursing  strange  seedlings  at  the  cedar's  root, 

Devising  leaves,  blooms,  blades. 

It  slayeth  and  it  saveth,  nowise  moved 

Except  unto  the  working  out  of  doom  ; 
Its  threads  are  Love  and  Life ;  and  Death  and  Pain 

The  shuttles  of  its  loom. 

It  maketh  and  unmaketh,  mending  all  ; 

What  it  hath  wrought  is  better  than  hath  been  ; 
Slow  grows  the  splendid  pattern  that  it  plans 

Its  wistful  hands  between. 

This  is  its  work  upon  the  things  ye  see, 

The  unseen  things  are  more  ;  men's  hearts  and  minds. 
The  thoughts  of  peoples  and  their  ways  and  wills, 

Those,  too,  the  great  Law  binds. 

Unseen  it  helpeth  ye  with  faithful  hands, 

Unheard  it  speaketh  stronger  than  the  stormr 

Pity  and  Love  are  man's  because  long  stress' 
Molded  blind  mass  to  form. 

It  will  not  be  contemned  of  any  one  ; 

Who  thwarts  it  loses,  and  who  serves  it  gains  ; 
The  hidden  good  it  pays  with  peace  and  bliss, 

The  hidden  ill  with  pains. 

It  seeth  everywhere  and  marketh  all  : 

Do  right — it  recompenseth  !  do  one  wrong — 


BOOK    THE    EIGHTH. 

The  equal  retribution  must  be  made, 
Though  Dharma  "  tarry  long. 

It  knows  not  wrath  nor  pardon  ;  utter-true 

Its  measures  mete,  its  faultless  balance  weighs  ; 

Times  are  as  nought,  to-morrow  it  will  judge, 
Or  after  many  days. 

By  this  the  slayer's  knife  did  stab  himself ; 

The  unjust  judge  hath  lost  his  own  defender  ; 
The  false  tongue  dooms  its  lie ;  the  creeping  thief 

And  spoiler  rob,  to  render. 

Such  is  the  Law  which  moves  to  righteousness, 
Which  none  at  last  can  turn  aside  or  stay  ; 

The  heart  of  it  is  Love,  the  end  of  it 

Is  Peace  and  Consummation  sweet.     Obey  ! 


^he  Books  say  well,  my  Brothers  !  each  man's  l.ife 
The  outcome  of  his  former  living  is  ; 

The  bygone  wrongs  bring  forth  sorrows  and  woes. 
The  bygone  right  breeds  bliss. 

That  which  ye  sow  ye  reap.     See  yonder  fields  ! 

The  sesamum  was  sesamum,"  the  corn 
Was  corn.     The  Silence  and  the  Darkness  knew  ! 

So  is  a  man's  fate  born. 

He  cometh,  reaper  of  the  things  he  sowed,  ' 
Sesamum,  corn,  so  much  cast  in  past  birth  ; 


IS'  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

And  so  much  weed  and  poison-stuff,  which  mar 
Him  arid  the  aching  earth. 

If  he  shall  labor  rightly,  rooting  these, 

And  planting  \fholesome  seedlings  where  they  grew, 
Fruitful  and  fair  and  clean  the  ground  shall  be, 

And  rich  the  harvest  due. 

If  he  who  liveth,  learning  whence  woe  springs, 

Endureth  patiently,  striving  to  pay 
His  utmost  debt  for  ancient  evils  done 

In  Love  and  Truth  alway  ; 

If  making  none  to  lack,  he  throughly  purge 
The  lie  and  lust  of  self  forth  from  his  blood  ; 

Suffering  all  meekly,  rendering  for  offense 
Nothing  but  grace  and  good  ; 

If  he  shall  day  by  day  dwell  merciful, 

Holy  and  just  and  kind  and  true  ;  and  rend 

Desire  from  where  it  clings  with  bleeding  roots, 
Till  love  of  life  have  end  : 

He — dying — leaveth  as  the  sum  of  him 

A  life-count  closed,  whose  ills  are  dead  and  quit, 

Whose  good  is  quick  and  mighty,  far  and  near, 
So  that  fruits  follow  it. 

No  need  hath  such  to  live  as  ye  name  life  ; 

That  which  began  in  him  when  he  began 
Is  finished  :  he  hath  wrought  the  purpose  through 

Of  what  did  make  him  Man. 


BOOK    THE   EIGHTH. 

Never  shall  yearnings  torture  him,  nor  sins 
Stain  him,  nor  ache  of  earthly  joys  and  woes 

Invade  his  safe  eternal  peace  ;  nor  deaths 
And  lives  recur.     He  goes 

Unto  Nirvana."     He  is  one  with  Life 
Vet  lives  not.     He  is  blest,  ceasing  to  be. 

Om,'*  mani"  paume,"  om  !  the  Dewdrop  slips 
Into  the  shining  sea  !  " 


This  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Karma."     Learn  ! 

Only  when  alt  the  dross  of  sin  is  quit, 
Only  when  life  dies  like  a  white  flame  spent 

Death  dies  along  with  it. 

Say  not  "  I  am,"  "  I  was,"  or  "  I  shall  be," 

Think  not  ye  pass  from  house  to  house  of  flesh 

Like  travelers  who  remember  and  forget, 
IlModged  or  well-lodged.     Fresh 

Issues  upon  the  Universe  that  sum 
Which  is  the  lattermost  of  lives.     It  makes 

Its  habitation  as  the  worm  spins  silk 
And  dwells  therein.     It  takes 

Function  and  substance  as  the  snake's  egg  hatched 
Takes  scale  and  fang  ;  as  feathered  reed-seeds  fly 

O'er  rock  and  loam  and  sand,  until  they  find 
Their  marsh  and  multiply. 


154  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

Also  it  issues  forth  to  help  or  hurt. 

When  Death  the  bitter  murderer  doth  smite, 
Red  roams  the  unpurged  fragment  of  him,  driven 

On  wings-  of  plague  and  blight. 

But  when  the  mild  and  just  die,  sweet  airs  breathe  ; 

The  world  grows  richer,  as  if  desert-stream 
Should  sink  away  to  sparkle  up  again 

Purer,  with  broader  gleam. 

So  merit  won  winneth  the  happier  age 

Which  by  demerit  halteth  short  of  end  ; 
Yet  must  this  Law  of  Love  reign  King  of  all 

Before  the  Kalpas""  end. 

'What  lets  ? — Brothers  !  the  Darkness  lets  !  which  breeds 

Ignorance,  mazed  whereby  ye  take  these  shows 
For  true,  and  thirst  to  have,  and,  having,  cling 
To  lusts  which  work  you  woes. 

Ye  that  will  tread  the  Middle  Road,  whose  course 
Bright  Reason  traces  and  soft  Quiet  smoothes  ; 

Yfe  who  will  take  the  high  Nirvana-way 
List  the  Four  Noble  Truths. 

The  First  Truth  is  of  Sorrow.     Be  not  mocked ! 

Life  which  ye  prize  is  long-drawn  agony  : 
Only  its  pains  abide  ;  its  pleasures  are 

As  birds  which  light  and  fly. 

Ache  of  the  birth,  ache  of  the  helpless  days. 

Ache  of  hot  youth  and  ache  of  manhood's  prime  ; 


BOOK    THE    EIGHTH. 

Ache  of  the  chill  gray  years  and  choking  death, 
These  fill  your  piteous  time. 

Sweet  is  fond  Love,  but  funeral-flames  must  kiss 
The  breasts  which  pillow  and  the  lips  which- cling 

Gallant  is  warlike  Might,  but  vultures  pick 
The  joints  of  chief  and  King. 

Beauteous  is  Earth,  but  all  its  forest-broods 
Plot  mutual  slaughter,  hungering  to  live  ; 

Of  sapphire  are  the  skies,  but  when  men  cry 
Famished,  no  drops  they  give. 

.\sk  of  the  sick,  the  mourners,  ask  of  him 
Who  tottereth  on  his  staff,  lone  and  forlorn, 

"  Liketh  thee  life  ? " — these  say  the  babe  is  wise 
That  weepeth,  being  bom. 

The  Second  Truth  is  Sornrjv's  Catist.     What  grief 
Springs  of  itself  and  springs  not  of  Desire  ? 

Senses  and  things  perceived  mingle  and  light 
Passion's  quick  spark  oC  fir,; : 

So  flameth  Trishnd,  lu:  ^  and  thirst  of  things. 

Eager  ye  cleave  to  shadow-,,  dote  on  dreams  ; 
A  false  Self  i '.  tlie  midst  ye  plant,  and  make 

A  world  around  whic:-.  ie.ms 

Blind  to  the  height  beyond,  deaf  to  the  sound 
Of  sweet  airs  breathed  from  far  i)ast  Indri's  sky  ; 

Dumb  to  the  summons  of  the  true  life  kept 
For  him  who  false  puts  by. 


IS6  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

So  grow  the  strifes  and  lusts  which  make  earth's  war, 
So  grieve  poor  cheated  hearts  and  flow  salt  tears  ; 

So  wax  the  passions,  envies,  angers,  hates  ; 
So  years  chase  blood-stained  years 

With  wild  red  feet.     So,  where  the  grain  should  grow 
Spreads  the  biran-weed*'  with  its  evil  root 

And  poisonous  blossoms  ;  hardly  good  seeds  find 
Soil  where  to  fall  and  shoot  ; 

And  drugged  with  poisonous  drink  the  soul  departs, 
And  fierce  with  thirst  to  drink  Karma  returns  ; 

Sense-struck  again  the  sodden  self  begins, 
And  new  deceits  it  earns. 

The  Third  is  Sorrow's  Ceasing.     This  is  peace 
To  conquer  love  of  self  and  lust  of  life, 

To  tear  deep-rooted  passion  from  the  breast, 
To  still  the  inward  strife  ; 

For  love  to  clasp  Eternal  Beauty  close  ; 

For  glory  to  be  Lord  of  self,  for  pleasure 
To  live  beyond  the  gods  ;  for  countless  wealth 

To  lay  up  lasting  treasure 

Of  perfect  service  rendered,  duties  done 
In  charity,  soft  speech,  and  stainless  days  : 

These  riches  shall  not  fade  away  in  life, 
Nor  any  death  dispraise. 

Then  Sorrow  ends,  for  Life  and  Death  have  ceased  ; 
How  should  lamps  flicker  when  tlieir  oil  is  spent  ? 


BOOK    THE    F.ir.HTH. 


The  old  sad  count  is  clear,  the  new  is  clean 
Thus  hath  a  man  content. 


rhe  Fourth  Truth  is  The  Way.     It  openeth  wide, 
Plain  for  all  feet  to  tread,  easy  and  near, 

The  Noble  Eightfold  Path  ;  it  goeth  straight 
To  peace  and  refuge.     Hear  ! 

Manifold  tracks  lead  to  yon  sister-peaks 
Around  whose  snows  the  gilded  clouds  are  curled  ; 

By  steep  or  gentle  slopes  the  climber  comes 
Where  breaks  that  other  world. 

Strong  limbs  may  dare  the  rugged  road  which  storms, 
Soaring  and  perilous,  the  mountain's  breast  ; 

The  weak  must  wind  from  slower  ledge  to  ledge 
With  many  a  place  of  rest. 

So  is  the  Eightfold  Path  which  brings  to  peace  ; 

By  lower  or  by  upper  heights  it  goes. 
iThe  firm  soul  hastes,  the  feeble  tarries.     All 
Will  reach  the  sunlit  snows. 

The  First  good  Level  is  Right  Doctrine.     Walk 
In  Fear  of  Dharma,  shunning  all  offense  ; 

In  heed  of  Karnid,  which  doth  make  man's  fate  ; 
In  lordship  over  sense. 

The  Second  is  Right  Purpose.     Have  good-will 
To  all  that  lives,  letting  unkindncss  die 


158  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

And  greed  and  wrath  ;  so  that  your  lives  be  made 
Like  soft  airs  passing  by. 

The  Third  is  Right  Discourse.     Govern  the  lips 
As  they  were  palace-doors,  the  King  within  -, 

Tranquil  and  fair  and  courteous  be  all  words 
Which  from  that  presence  win. 

The  Fourth  is  Right  Behavior.     Let  each  act 

Assoil  a  fault  or  help  a  merit  grow  : 
Like  threads  of  silver  seen  through  crystal  beads 

Let  love  through  good  deeds  show. 

Four  higher  roadways  be.     Only  those  feet 

May  tread  them  which  have  done  with  earthly  things  ; 

Right  Purity,  Right  Thought,  Right  Loneii/iess, 
Right  Rapture.     Spread  no  wings 

For  sunward  flight,  thou  soul  with  unplumed  vans  ! 

Sweet  is  the  lower  air  and  safe,  and  kno^vn 
The  homely  levels  :  only  strong  ones  leave 

The  nest  each  makes  his  own. 

Dear  is  the  love,  I  know,  of  Wife  and  Child  ; 

Pleasant  the  friends  and  pastimes  of  your  years  : 
Fruitful  of  good  Life's  gentle  charities  ; 

False,  though  firm-set,  its  fears. 

Live — ye  who  must — such  lives  as  live  on  these  ; 

Make  golden  stair-ways  of  your  weakness  ;  rise 
By  daily  sojourn  with  those  phantasies 

To  lovelier  verities. 


BOOK    THE    EIGHTH.  1 

So  shall  ye  pass  to  clearer  heights  and  find 
Easier  ascents  and  lighter  loads  of  sins, 

And  larger  will  to  burst  the  bonds  of  sense, 
Entering  the  Path.     Who  wins 

To  such  commencement  hath  the  First  Stage  touched 
He  knows  the  Noble  Truths,  the  Eightfold  Road  ; 

By  few  or  many  steps  such  shall  attain 
Nirvana's  blest  abode. 

Who  standeth  at  the  Second  Stage,  made  free 
From  doubts,  delusions,  and  the  inward  strife, 

Lord  of  all  lusts,  quit  of  the  priests  and  booics, 
Shall  live  but  one  more  life. 

Yet  onward  lies  the  Third  Stage  :  purged  and  pure 
Hath  grown  the  stately  spirit  here,  hath  risen 

To  love  all  living  things  in  perfect  peace. 
His  life  at  end,  life's  prison 

Is  broken.     Nay,  there  are  who  surely  pass 

Living  and  visible  to  utmost  goal 
By  Fourth  Stage  of  the  Holy  ones — the  Buddhs — 

And  they  of  stainless  soul. 

Lo  !  like  fierce  foes  slain  by  some  warrior. 
Ten-sins   along  these  Stages  lie  in  dust, 

The  Love  of  Self,  False  Faith,  and  Doubt  arc  three, 
Two  more,  Hatred  and  Lust. 

Who  of  these  Five  is  conqueror  hath  trod 
Three  stages  out  of  Four  :  yet  there  abide 


l60  THE    LIGHT    OF    ASIA. 

The  Love  of  Life  on  Earth,  Desire  for  Heaven, 
Self-Praise,  Error,  and  Pride. 

As  one  who  stands  on  yonder  snowy  horn 

Having  nought  o'er  him  but  the  boundless  blue. 

So,  these  sins  being  slain,  the  man  is  come 
Nirvana's  verge  unto. 

Him  the  Gods  envy  from  their  lower  seats  ; 

Him  the  Three  Worlds  in  ruin  should  not  shake  ; 
All  life  is  lived  for  him,  all  deaths  are  dead  ; 

Karma  will  no  more  make 

New  houses.     Seeking  nothing,  he  gains  all  ; 

Foregoing  self,  the  Universe  grows  "  I :  " 
If  any  teach  NIRVANA  is  to  cease. 

Say  unto  such  they  lie. 

If  any  teach  NIRVANA  is  to  live, 

Say  unto  such  they  err  ;"  not  knowing  this, 

Nor  what  light  shines  beyond  their  broken  lamps, 
Nor  lifeless,  timeless  bliss.  ' 

Enter  the  Path  !     There  is  no  grief  like  Hate  ! 

No  pains  like  passions,  no  deceit  like  sense  ! 
Enter  the  Path  !  far  hath  he  gone  whose  foot 

Treads  down  one  fond  offense. 

Enter  the  Path  !     There  spring  the  healing  streams 
Quenching  all  thirst  !  there  bloom  th'  immortal  flowers 

Carpeting  all  the  way  with  joy  !  there  throng 
Swiftest  and  sweetest  hours  ! 


BOOK    THE    EIGHTH. 

More  is  the  treasure  of  the  Law  than  gems  ; 

Sweeter  than  comb  its  sweetness  ;  its  delights 
Delightful  past  compare.     Thereby  to  live 

Hear  the  Five  Rules  aright  : — 

Kill  not — for  Pity's  sake — and  lest  ye  slay 
The  meanest  thing  upon  its  upward  way. 

Give  freely  and  receive,  but  take  from  none 
By  greed,  or  force  or  fraud,  what  is  his  own. 

Bear  not  false  witness,  slander  not,  nor  lie  ; 
•Truth  is  the  speech  of  inward  purity. 

Shun  drugs  and  drinks  which  work  the  wit  abuse  ; 
Clear  minds,  clean  bodies,  need  no  Soma  juice." 

Touch  not  thy  neighbor's  wife,  neither  commit 
Sins  of  the  flesh  unlawful  and  unfit. 


These  words  the  Master  spake  of  duties  due 
To  father,  mother,  children,  fellows,  friends  ; 
Teaching  how  such  as  may  not  swiftly  break 
The  clinging  chains  of  sense — whose  feet  are  weak 
To  tread  the  higher  road — should  order  so 
This  life  of  flesh  that  all  their  hither  days 
Pass  blameless  in  discharge  of  charities 
.\nd  first  true  footfalls  in  the  Eightfold  Path  ; 
Living  pure,  reverent,  patient,  pitiful. 
Loving  all  things  which  live  even  as  themselves  ; 
6 


l62  THE   LIGHT   OF   ASIA. 

Because  what  falls  for  ill  is  fruit  of  ill 

Wrought  in  the  past,  and  what  falls  well  of  good ; 

And  that  by  howsomuch  the  householder 

Purgeth  himself  of  self  and  helps  the  world, 

By  so  much  happier  comes  he  to  next  stage, 

In  so  much  bettered  being.     This  he  spake, 

As  also  long  before,  when  our  Lord  walked 

By  Rajagriha  in  the  bamboo-grove  : 

For  on  a  dawn  he  walked  there  and  beheld 

The  householder  Singala,  newly  bathed. 

Bowing  himself  with  bare  head  to  the  earth, 

To  Heaven,  and  all  four  quarters  ;  while  he  threw 

Rice,  red  and  white,  from  both  hands."  "  Wherefore  thus 

Bowest  thou,  Brother  ?  "  said  the  Lord  ;  and  he, 

"  It  is  the  way.  Great  Sir  !  our  fathers  taught 

At  every  dawn,  before  the  toil  begins, 

To  hold  off  evil  from  the  sky  above 

And  earth  beneath,  and  all  the  winds  which  blow." 

Then  the  World-honored  spake  :  "  Scatter  not  rice, 

But  offer  loving  thoughts  and  acts  to  all. 

To  parents  as  the  East  where  rises  light  ; 

To  teachers  as  the  South  whence  rich  gifts  come ; 

To  wife  and  children  as  the  West  where  gleam 

Colors  of  love  and  calm,  and  all  days  end  ; 

To  friends  and  kinsmen  and  all  men  as  North  ; 

To  humblest  living  things  beneath,  to  Saints 

And  Angels  and  the  blessed  Dead  above  : 

So  shall  all  evil  be  shut  off,  and  so 

The  six  main  quarters  will  be  safely  kept." 

But  to  his  own,  them  of  the  yellow  robe — 
They  who,  as  wakened  eagles,  soar  with  scorn 


BOOK   THE   EIGHTH.  163 

From  life's  low  vale,  and  wing  towards  the  Sun — 

To  these  he  taught  the  Ten  Observances, 

The  Dasa  st7,"  and  how  a  mendicant 

Must  know  the  TArfe  Doors  "  and  the  Triple  Thoughts  ;" 

The  Sixfold  States  of  Mind  ;  "  the  Fivefold  Powers  ;  " 

The  Eight  High  Gates  of  Purity  ;*'  the  Modes 

Of  Understanding  ;  "  JddAi  ;  "  Upekslui  ;" 

The  Five  great  Meditations^  which  are  food 

Sweeter  than  Amrit "  for  the  holy  soul  ; 

The  Jhdnas*  and  the  Three  Chief  Refuges^ 

Also  he  taught  his  own  how  they  should  dwell ; 

How  live,  free  from  the  snares  of  love  and  wealth  ; 

What  eat  and  drink  and  carry — three  plain  cloths, — 

Yellow,  of  stitched  stuff,  worn  with  shoulder  bare — 

A  girdle,  almsbowl,  strainer."     Thus  he  laid 

The  great  foundations  of  our  Sangha"  well. 

That  noble  Order  of  the  Yellow  Robe 

Which  to  this  day  standeth  to  help  the  World. 

So  all  that  night  he  spake,  teaching  the  Law : 
And  on  no  eyes  fell  sleep — for  they  who  heard 
Rejoiced  with  tireless  joy.     Also  the  King, 
When  this  was  finished,  rose  upon  his  throne 
And  with  bared  feet  bowed  low  before  his  Son 
Kissing  his  hem  ;  and  said,  "  Take  me,  O  Son  ! 
Lowest  and  least  of  all  thy  Company." 
And  sweet  Yas5dhara,  all  happy  now — 
Cried  "  Give  to  Rahula — thou  Blessed  One  ! 
The  Treasure  of  the  Kingdom  of  thy  Word 
For  his  inheritance."     Thus  passed  these  Three 
Into  the  Path. 


164  THE   LIGHT    OF   ASIA. 

Here  endeth  what  I  write 
Who  love  the  Master  for  his  love  of  us. 
A  little  knowing,  little  have  I  told 
Touching  the  Teacher  and  the  Ways  of  Peace. 
Forty-five  rains  thereafter  showed  he  those 
In  many  lands  and  many  tongues  and  gave 
Our  Asia  light,  that  still  is  beautiful, 
Conquering  the  world  with  spirit  of  strong  grace  : 
All  which  is  written  in  the  holy  Books, 
And  where  he  passed  and  what  proud  Emperors 
Carved  his  sweet  words  upon  the  rocks  and  caves 
And  how — in  fullness  of  the  times — it  fell 
The  Buddha  died,  the  great  Tathagato," 
Even  as  a  man  'mongst  men,  fulfilling  all : 
And  how  a  thousand  thousand  crors  since  then 
Have  trod  the  path  which  leads  whither  he  went 
Unto  Nirvana  where  the  Silence  lives. 


Ah  !  Blessed  Lord  !  Oh,  High  Deliverer  ! 
Forgive  this  feeble  script,  which  doth  thee  wrong 
Measuring  with  little  wit  thy  lofty  Love. 
Ah  !  Lover  !  Brother  !  Guide  i   Lamp  of  the  Law  ! 
I  take  my  refuge  in  thy  name  and  thee  ! 
I  take  my  refuge  in  thy  Law  of  Good  ! 

I  TAKE  my  refuge  IN  THY  OrDER  !     OM  ! 

The  Dew  is  on  the  lotus  ! — rise.  Great  Sun  ! 
And  lift  mv  leaf  and  mix  me  with  the  wave, 
Om  mani  padme  hum,*'  the  Sunrise  comes  ! 
The  Dewdrop  slips  into  the  shining  Sea  ! 


i3lfter  Ocaih  in  'Arabia. 

BY    EDWIN    ARNOLD. 

He  who  died  at  Azan  sends 
This  to  comfort  all  his  friends : 

Faithful  friends  !     It  lies,  I  know, 
Pale  and  white  and  cold  as  snow  ; 
And  ye  say,  "  Abdallah's  dead  !  " 
Weeping  at  the  feet  and  head, 
I  can  see  your  falling  tears, 
I  can  hear  your  sighs  and  prayers  ; 
Yet  I  smile  and  whisper  this, — 
"  /  am  not  the  thing  you  kiss  ; 
Cease  your  tears,  and  let  it  lie  ; 
It  was  mine,  it  is  not  I." 

Sweet  friends  !     What  the  women  lave 
For  its  last  bed  of  the  grave, 
Is  but  a  hut  which  I  am  quitting, 
Is  a  garment  no  more  fitting. 
Is  a  cage,  from  which,  at  last, 
Like  a  hawk  my  soul  hath  passed. 
Love  the  inmate,  not  the  room, — 
The  wearer,  not  the  garb, — the  plame 
165 


j66  AFTER   DEATH     IN    ARABIA. 

Of  the  falcon,  not  the  bars 

Which  kept  him  from  those  splendid  stars. 

Loving  friends  !     Be  wise  and  dry 

Straightway  every  weeping  eye, — 

What  ye  lift  upon  the  bier 

Is  not  worth  a  wistful  tear. 

'Tis  an  empty  sea-shell, — one 

Out  of  which  the  pearl  is  gone  ; 

The  shell  is  broken,  it  lies  there ; 

The  pearl,  the  all,  the  soul,  is  here. 

'Tis  an  earthen  jar,  whose  lid 

Allah  sealed,  the  while  it  hid 

That  treasure  of  his  treasury, 

A  mind  that  loved  him  ;  let  it  lie  ! 

Let  the  shard  be  earth's  once  more, 

Since  the  gold  shines  in  his  store ! 

Allah  glorious  !     Allah  good  ! 
Now  thy  world  is  understood  ; 
Now  the  long,  long  wonder  ends  ; 
Yet  ye  weep,  my  erring  friends, 
While  the  man  whom  ye  call  dead, 
In  unspoken  bliss,  instead, 
Lives  and  loves  you  ;  lost,  'tis  true, 
By  such  light  as  shines  for  you  ; 
But  in  the  light  ye  cannot  see 
Of  unfulfilled  felicity, — 
In  enlarging  paradise, 
Lives  a  life  that  never  dies. 

Farewell,  friends  !    Yet  not  farewell ; 
Where  I  am,  ye,  too,  shall  dwell. 


AFTER    DEATH    IN    ARABIA. 

I  am  gone  before  your  face, 
A  moment's  time,  a  little  space. 
When  ye  come  where  I  have  stepped 
Ye  will  wonder  why  ye  wept ; 
Ye  will  know,  by  wise  love  taught, 
That  here  is  all,  and  there  is  naught 
Weep  awhile,  if  ye  are  fain, — 
Sunshine  still  must  follow  rain  ; 
Only  not  at  death, — for  death. 
Now  I  know,  is  that  first  breath 
Which  our  souls  draw  when  we  enter 
Life,  which  is  of  all  life  center. 

Be  ye  certain  all  seems  love. 

Viewed  from  Allah's  throne  above  , 

Be  ye  stout  of  heart,  and  come 

Bravely  onward  to  your  home  ! 

La  Allah  ilia  Allah  !  yea  ! 

Thou  love  divine  !     Thou  love  alway ! 

He  that  died  at  .\zan  gave 

This  to  those  who  made  his  grave. 


"fie  onb  Blic" 

BY   EDWIN    ARNOLD. 

"  She  is  dead  !  "  they  said  to  him  ;  "  come  away  ; 
Kiss  her  and  leave  her, — thy  love  is  clay  !  " 

They  smoothed  her  tresses  of  dark  brown  hair; 
On  her.  forehead  of  stone  they  laid  it  fair  ; 

Over  her  eyes  that  gazed  too  much 
They  drew  the  lids  with  a  gentle  touch  ; 

With  a  tender  touch  they  closed  up  well 
The  sweet  thin  lips  that  had  secrets  to  tell ; 

About  her  brows  and  beautiful  face 
They  tied  her  veil  and  her  marriage  lace, 

And  drew  on  her  white  feet  her  white  silk  shoes — 
Which  were  the  whitest  no  eye  could  choose — 

And  over  her  bosom  they  crossed  her  hands. 
"  Come  away  !  "  they  said  ;  "  God  understands." 

And  there  was  silence,  and  nothing  there 
But  silence,  and  scents  of  eglantere, 


"he  and  shf..  "  169 

And  jasmine,  and  roses,  and  rosemary ; 

And  they  said,  "  As  a  lady  should  lie,  lies  she." 

And  they  held  their  breath  till  they  left  the  room, 
Wi\h  a  shudder,  to  glance  at  its  stillness  and  gloom. 

But  he  who  loved  her  too  well  to  dread 
The  sweet,  the  stately,  the  beautiful  dead, 

lie  lit  his  lamp  and  took  the  key 

And  turned  it — alone  again — he  and  she. 

He  and  she  ;  but  she  would  not  speak. 

Though  he  kissed,  in  the  old  place,  the  quiet  cheek. 

He  and  she  ;  yet  she  would  not  smile. 

Though  he  called  her  the  name  she  loved  erewhile. 

He  and  she  ;  still  she  did  not  move 
To  any  one  passionate  whisper  of  love- 
Then  he  said  :  "  Cold  lips  and  breasts  without  breath. 
Is  there  no  voice,  no  language  of  death? 

"  Dumb  to  the  ear  and  still  to  the  sense,    . 
But  to  heart  and  to  soul  distinct,  intense? 

"  See  now  ;  I  will  listen  with  soul,  not  ear ; 
What  was  the  secret  of  dying,  dear? 

"  Was  it  the  infinite  wonder  of  all 

I'hat  you  ever  could  let  life's  flower  fall? 


I70  "HE    AND   SHE." 

"  Or  was  it  a  greater  marvel  to  feel 
The  perfect  calm  o'er  the  agony  steal  ? 

"  Was  the  miracle  greater  to  find  how  deep 
Beyond  all  dreams  sank  downward  that  sleep  ? 

"  Did  life  roll  back  its  records  dear, 

And  show,  as  they  say  it  does,  past  things  clear? 

"  And  was  it  the  innermost  heart  of  the  bliss 
To  find  out  so,  what  a  wisdom  love  is  ? 

"  O  perfect  dead  !  O  dead  most  dear, 
I  hold  the  breath  of  my  soul  to  hear ! 

"  I  listen  as  deep  as  to  horrible  hell. 

As  high  as  to  heaven,  and  you  do  not  telL 

"  There  must  be  pleasure  in  dying,  sweet, 
To  make  you  so  placid  from  head  to  feet ! 

"  I  would  tell  you,  darling,  if  I  were  dead, 

And  'twere  your  hot  tears  upon  my  brow  shed, — 

"  I  would  say,  though  the  Angel  of  Death  had  laid 
His  sword  on  my  lips  to  keep  it  unsaid. 

"  You  should  not  ask  vainly,  with  streaming  eyes, 
Which  of  all  deaths  was  the  chiefest  surprise, 

"  The  very  strangest  and  suddenest  thing 
Of  all  the  surprises  that  dying  must  bring." 


HK    AND   SHE. 

Ah,  foolish  world  ;  O  most  kind  dead  ! 

Though  he  told  me,  who  will  believe  it  was  said  ? 

Who  will  believe  that  he  heard  her  say, 

With  the  sweet,  soft  voice,  in  the  dear  old  way  : 

"  The  utmost  wonder  is  this, — I  hear 

And  see  you,  and  love  you,  and  kiss  you,  dear  ; 

"  And  am  your  angel,  who  was  your  bride, 

And  know  that,  though  dead,  I  have  never  died." 


RULES  FOR  PRONUNCIATION. 

A,  onmu'ked  like  u  in  but. 

k,  marked  like  a  in  father. 

E,  like  a  in  fate. 

I,  unmarked  like  i  in  him. 

i,  marked  as  ee  in  feel. 

O,  marked  or  unmarked  like  o  in  gold. 

tJ,  marked  like  u  in  rule. 

U  uixmarked  like  u  in  gun. 


PREFACE  TO  NOTES. 


AFTWHummor  ftfternoon  "Conversations"  on  thn  "Light  of 
Asia,"  at  tlia  earnest  retjucst  of  tlio  company  wlio  listened,  are  at 
last  condensed  into  tlieso  notes.  Inti-rprelatioa  rather  than  criti- 
cism has  been  nir  aim,  neither  have  I  tliouglit  it  best  to  enter  into 
any  extended  discussion  of  the  merits  of  Buddhist  doctrine  pre- 
sented or  incidentally  mentioned.  A  separate  volume  would  be 
needed  for  tljat.  Of  necessity  Mr.  Arnold  has  been  obliged  to  use 
Christian  phraseology,  and  as  a  jmwerful  artist,  without  being  a 
Buddhist  or  any  other  sort  of  a  heathen,  he  has  made  the  most  of 
his  picture. 

We  find  it  as  dif&cuit  to  becloud  Christian  words  with  heathen 
ideas  as  the  heathen  find  it  ditflcuit  to  attach  to  their  theological 
terms,  when  used  to  explain  Christianity,  the  truth,  purity  and 
cleamesa  of  Christian  doctrine. 

If  the  corresponding  legends  introduced  in  these  notes  shall  give 
to  any  one  a  juster  idea  of  the  place  Buddhist  history  holds  in 
Oriental  literature  ;  if  the  translation  of  Hindu  words  and  descrip- 
tions of  Hindu  customs  shall  add  to  the  pleasure  of  any  as  they 
strive  to  comprehend  Mr.  Arnolds  picture  ;  if  the  fuller  details  of 
Bnihminical  and  Buddhist  beliefs  shall  give  to  any  a  clearer  view 
of  the  daricness  wbiclt  Buddha  witli  his  candle  of  truth  bravely 
strove  to  Illumine  ;  if  any,  reading  these  notes,  shall  love  manlcind 
more  and  Christianity  not  less,  my  aim  is  fuirilied. 

Mrs.  I.  L.  HAUaER 
Kvanston,  111.,  April  13,  1882. 


EDWIX    AUNOLR    CRL 


Edwtn  AnxoLD  was  the  second  son  of  Robert  Coles  Araold,  a 
ma^strate  in  Sussex  ;  ho  was  born  June  10,  1831,  and  was  educa- 
ted at  King's  School ,  noolipster,  ami  King's  College,  London  ;  and 
was  elected  to  a  scholarsliip  at  University  C'nUoge,  Oxford.  In 
1853  he  obtained  the  Ncwdi^'ato  prize  for  his  English  poem  on  the 
Feast  of  Belshazzar.  In  18.">3  he  was  elected  to  address  the  Earl  of 
Derby  on  his  installation  as  Chancellor  of  the  University.  He 
graduated  witli  honor  in  18.'>4,  and  became  second  master  in  King 
Edward  the  Sixth's  school  in  Rirmingham,  and  subsequently  was 
appointed  principal  of  the  Government  Sanskrit  College  at  Poona, 
in  VVestem  India.  He  lu-Id  the  position  until  1860,  wlien  he  was 
compelled  to  leave  his  much-lovi-d  India,  by  the  death  of  a  child, 
and  the  illness  of  hLs  young  wife.  For  nearly  twenty  years  since 
he  has  held  the  position  of  subeditor,  or  editor-in-chief,  of  the 
London  Daily  Telegraph,  where  he  has  become  greatly  distin- 
gnished  asa  writcrof  jxnverful  "  leaders."  Mr.  Arnold  has  con- 
tributed largely  to  critinil  and  literary  journals,  and  is  the  author 
of    '•  fJriseUla,    a    Drama;"    "Poems    Narrative   and    Lyrical," 

"  Education  in  India, riie  Euterpe  of  Herodotus,"  a  translation 

with  notes  ;  a  translation  of  the  "Hitopodesh/'or  "Book  of  Good 
Coun.sels,"  a  Sanskrit  work  ;  "  The  History  of  Lord  Dalhousie's 
Administration,"  '  The  Indian  Song  of  Songs,"  and  the  "  Light  of 
Asia."  This  la.st  work  he  began  in  September  of  1878,  and  though 
his  duties  as  e<litorof  the  J)aily  TfUgraph  wero  unremitting,  he 
was  able,  within  a  year,  to  have  it  published  on  both  sides  the 
Atlantic  I^^ter,  ^lr.  Arnold  has  translated  into  verse  two  books 
from  the  Mahibbarata,  "  The  Iliad  of  India." 


BUDDHA. 

Ov  the  real  history  of  Builiiha  comparatively  little  was  known 
In  the  Western  world  until  within  the  present  century.  Whether 
ho  ever  existed  at  all  was  a  (jreat  question  amonj;  the  best  scholars, 
but  recent  research  and  comparison  of  Buddhist  works  from  Cey- 
lon, Burmah,  Siam,  Thilxtt,  China  and  Sanskrit  works  in  India 
seems  to  establish  the  fact  Iwyond  further  question.  As  scholars 
In  each  of  the  countries  where  Buddhism  prevails  read  the  works, 
ancient  or  modern,  that  proclaimed  the  greatness  and  doctrines  of 
Buddha,  they  found  tliem  so  overgrown  with  legends  and  absurdi- 
ties that  it  was  impa'tsible  for  them  to  decide  which  was  truth  and 
which  falsehood  ;  but  when  these  works  were  brought  together  in 
European  studies,  and  a  few  earnest  scholars  set  themselves  to 
the  task  of  comparison,  it  was  found  that  on  certain  points  of 
Buddha's  life  and  doctrine  there  was  practical  agreement.  These 
being  gathered  out  of  the  mass  of  nonsense,  we  now  have  an  in- 
telligible history  of  Buddha.  It  should  be  remembered  that  com- 
merce, or  other  intercourse  between  China,  Thil)et  and  India  had 
been  almost  entirely  suspended  for  nearly  a  thousand  years,  and 
the  thought  and  traditions  of  one  countjy  hajl  not  been  affected 
by  that  of  the  other  ;  hence  it  seems  evident  that  a  common 
origin  in  the  spread  of  Buddhism,  some  lifteen  or  twenty  centuries 
since,  must  account  for  the  atrrcement  of  tlie  Buddhist  books  of 
those  countries  on  history  and  d(3ctrine. 

Nothing  has  been  more  uncertain  about  Buddha  than  the  time 
of  his  life.  Pnifes-sor  Wilson  enumerates  over  twenty  different 
dates  given  in  Buddhist  Ixnks,  each  as  reliable  as  the  other,  and 
ranging  over  a  thou.sand  years  previous  to  453  B.C. ;  but  the  most 
careful  research,  and  the  balance  of  Oriental  authorities,  places 
his  birth  about  620  n  c. 

The  story  of  Buddha's  ante-natal  existence  is  as  firmly  believed 
in  by  his  followers  as  that  of  the  recorded  eighty  years  of  his  last 
appearance.  He  is  said  to  have  pa.s.sed  through  an  infinitude  of 
blrth.s,  in  various  characters,  during  ten  millions  of  million  and 
one  hundred  thousand  millions  of  k"»lpius.  or  e'ernities.  Ap|)ear- 
ing  as  a  prince  fifty-one  times  >n  tli^  line  of  Maliii-sammata,  he 
was  therefore  Sfty-oue  times  his  own  aocuitor.  lu  every  birth  he 
170 


is  represented  as  being  possessed  of  rare  moral  excellence  and 
great  benevolence.  It  is  said  that  when  he  was  living  as  King 
Kanakavarna  he  gave  to  a  Bodbisattwa — or  candidate  for  Buddha- 
hood — the  last  morsel  of  food  which  long  famine  had  left  for  his 
sustenance.  This  act  of  charity  was  followed  by  rain  and  plenty. 
Again  Buddha  born  as  a  Bralunin  gave  bis  o^vn  body  to  feed  a 
famished  tigress  and  her  cubs.  After  this  marvel  of  charity  he 
attained  the  rank  of  Bodbisattwa,  which  is  only  inferior  to  that 
of  Buddha,  and  lived  in  the  Tushita  heaven,  where  he  taught 
his  doctrine  to  innumerable  millions  of  Bodbisattwas,  or  future 
Buddbas,  and  was  glorified  by  many  strange  creatures  of  Hindu 
mythology.  Another  account  places  Buddha  as  one  of  the  seven 
holy  Risliis — saints — each  one  of  whom  awaits,  in  one  of  the 
seven  stars  of  the  Great  Bear,  final  birth  or  incarceration.  In 
other  works  the  occasion  of  Buddha's  b'rtb  is  diflEerently  told. 
Vishnu,  one  of  the  Hindu  trinity,  saw  that  men,  by  their  extraor- 
dinary strict  practice  of  the  doctrines  and  rites  of  the  Vedas, 
threatened  to  prove  rivals  to  the  gods  themselves.  In  order  to 
destroy  this  power  of  men,  or  rather  to  rob  them  of  it,  Vishnu 
became  incarnate  as  Buddha,  that  he  might  preach  skepticism  and 
heterodox  doctrines,  as  atheism,  and  to  destroy  hope  of  im- 
mortality, that  men  might  be  reduced  to  their  original  weakness, 
and  the  fears  and  jealousy  of  the  gods  be  removed. 

The  facts  of  his  mortal  life  may  be  briefly  told.  His  father  bad 
married  sisters,  Maliamaya  and  Mahaprajapati.  Mabamaya,  hav- 
ing come  to  her  forty-fifth  year,  was  about  to  be  delivered  of  her 
first  child,  and,  in  accordance  witli  Hindu  custom,  had  started  for 
her  father's  home.  On  the  way  she  rested  under  a  satin  tree,  and 
there  gave  birth  to  her  Jjoy.  Here  legend  steps  in  with  marvels. 
Buddha  at  his  birth  was  received  by  Maba  Brahma  in  a  golden 
net,  from  which  be  was  transferred  to  the  guardians  of  the  four 
quarters,  who  received  him  on  a  tiger's  skin  ;  from  these  he  was 
received  by  the  nobles,  who  wrapped  him  in  folds  of  the  finest 
and  softest  cloth  ;  but  at  once  Bodbisat  descended  from  their 
hands  to  the  ground,  and  looked  to  the  four  points,  and  the  four 
half  points  ;  when  he  looked  toward  the  north  he  proceeded  seven 
steps  in  that  direction,  and  exclaimed  :  "I  am  the  most  exalted 
in  the  world.  I  am  chief  in  the  world.  I  am  the  most  excellent 
in  the  world.  Hereafter  there  is  to  me  no  other  birth  !  "  Upon 
the  death  of  his  mother,  seven  days  after,  his  aunt  adopted  him 
and  nourished  him.  The  story  of  the  trial  of  his  prowess  and 
learning  at  the  time  of,  or  just  after,  his  marriage,  is  probably 
the  only  authentic  bit  of  his  history,  as  a  youth,  tiiat  remains,  and 
that  is  exaggerated  beyond  all  belief.  As  a  prince  of  the  warrior, 
or  Kshatriya  caste,  his  training  had  been  in  that  direction ,  though 
he  most  have  been  a  much   more  than  ordinarily  meditative 


BUDDHA.  l8l 

jouth.  The  impressions  made  upon  his  mind  bv  the  sipht  of 
extreme  age,  saflering  and  deatli,  do  not  seem  at  alliniprobal>le  or 
■  unnataral.  How  often  liiive  similar  siglits  made  impressions  on 
our  hearts  and  lives  that  we  shall  never  lose  !  It  is  not  wonder- 
ful that  a  man  of  such  remarkably  thoujrhtful  and  benevolent 
characteristics  as  Buddha  possessed  should  have  had  the  whole 
course  of  his  life  influenced  by  them.  After  Buddha's  renuncia- 
tion of  earthly  honors  and  family  ties  and  love,  he  spent  seven 
davs  in  a  mango  grove,  after  which  he  spent  some  time  at  Rtijil- 
griha  ;  from  thence  ho  went  to  the  jungle  near  Uruwela,  on  a 
spur  of  the  Vindhya  range,  wliere  he  spent  six  years  in  severe 
penances,  until  his  fame  spread,  as  the  Burmese  chronicle  says, 
"  like  the  sound  of  a  great  bell  hung  in  the  canopy  of  the  skies." 
Here  he  found  his  long-sought  quest,  that  peace  of  mind  that 
comes  from  absolute  surrender  of  selfish  de.sires,  after  brave  re- 
sistance of  the  ix>wers  of  evil.  His  contest  had  been  long  and 
severe.  He  bad  much  to  lose,  the  way  was  dark,  and  the  gain 
must  have  oft^n  seemed  doubtful.  Every  earnest  soul  at  some 
time  in  life,  in  a  gr.-ater  or  less  degree,  is  assailed  by  like  tempta- 
tions and  doubt.s.  The  greater  the  man,  the  greater  the  coutlict.  Car- 
lyle's  description  of  his  season  of  temptation  when  he  was  obliged 
to  decide  finally  whetlier  he  should  enter  the  ministry  reads 
wonderfully  like  Buddha's  struggle. 

••  I  entered  into  my  chamber,  and  closed  the  door.  And  aronnd 
about  me  there  came  a  trooping  throng  of  phantasms  dire,  from 
the  abysmal  depths  of  nethermost  perdition.  Doubt,  Fear,  Un- 
belief, Mockery  and  Scoffing  were  there,  and  I  wrestled  with  them 
in  travail  and  agony  of  spirit.  Thus  it  was,  sir,  for  weeks. 
W  hether  I  ate  I  know  not,  whether  I  drank  I  know  not,  whether 
I  slept  I  know  not.  But  I  only  know  that  when  I  came  forth 
again  beneath  the  glimpses  of  the  moon  it  was  with  the  direful 
jiersua-sion  that  I  was  the  miserable  owner  of  a  diabolical  appa- 
ratus called  a  sUimach. " 
Carlyle  came  forth  to  write,  Buddha  began  to  preach. 
He  went  to  the  de<r  forest  near  Benares,  and  before  the  rainy 
semsou  closed  had  sixty  converts.  These  he  sent  out  two  by  two 
to  propagate  his  doctrines.  He  now  went  to  his  old  home,  and 
after  bringing  over  to  U\»  views  his  half  brother,  his  son  and  ' 
others,  he  returned  to  Kjijagriha,  where  the  King  BImbsira  gave 
him  a  bamboo  grove  and  monastery.  He  spent  the  rainy  seasons 
here,  teaclang  those  who  gathered  al»ut  him,  and  during >he  dry 
seasons  itmerati-d  within  a  ra<liu3  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
about  Benares.  For  forty-five  years  he  Uught  and  sent  forth  his 
mi«»ionan.>s.  Death  came  at  last  to  the  old  man  of  blamele.ss  life 
and  found  him  tranquil,  and  looking  peacefully  forward  to  Nir- 
▼sna.     Carefully  had  he  followed  in  Lis  owq  Ufo  the  b«st  light  he 


l8a  BUDDHA. 

had,  patiently  he  taught  others  truth,  purity  and  humility,  and 
who  shall  say  that  his  earnest  soul,  passing  from  the  imprisonment 
of  the  body,  awoke  not  to  those  things  which  "  Eye  hath  not  seen,' 
nor  ear  heard,  neither  have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  ?" 

Buddha  lived  in  an  era  of  great  moral  reforms.  Throughout  the 
known  world  ritualism  had  superseded  the  old  and  pure  faith  of 
which  scarcely  more  than  the  ancient  traditions  remained.  Men 
were  weary  of  forms.  Within  the  two  centuries  which  Buddha's 
life  partly  spanned,  Confucius,  with  his  wonderful  code,  appeared 
in  China  ;  in  Persia,  Zoroaster  arose  with  reforms  ;  at  the  court  of 
Ahasuerus,  Esther  and  Mordecai  plead  for  justice,  and  their  cry 
was  heard  from  India  to  Ethiopia  ;  in  Babylon  Daniel  throughout 
a  long  life  upheld  in  brilliant  example  the  grandeur  of  righteous 
living  ;  in  Greece  the  Delphian  temple  sunk  in  ashes,  and  just 
laws  supplanted  the  tripod  ;  and  in  Palestine.  Isaiah,  Ezekiel, 
Jeremiah  and  most  of  the  lesser  prophets  declared  against  new 
moons,  feasts  and  fasts,  and  foretold  certain  destruction  for  those 
who,  in  ceremonials,  should  forget  equity  and  jusJtice.  The  Great 
Father  of  all,  who  has  not  created  any  soul  and  left  it  in  utter 
darkness,  He  who  in  tender  compassion  sent  Jonah  to  preach 
repentance  to  the  people  of  Nineveh  who  wer^at  enmity  with  Him 
and  His  chosen  people,  cared  also  for  the  millioivs  of  India  who 
knew  not  their  right  hand  from  their  left,  and  sent  Buddha  to 
preach  a  purity  and  morality  that  should  save  the  nation  from 
destruction.  Buddh  selected  out  from  the  old  faith  that  which 
was  noblest  and  best,  and  presented  it  with  rare  power  to  such  as 
would  hear.  But  the  lights  of  those  times,  brilliant  as  they  shone 
in  the  surrounding  darkness,  paled  before  a  later  Light  that  leads 
on  to  perfect  day.  The  burden  of  Buddha's  doctrine  is  not  to, 
not  to,  not  to.  Positive,  heroic,  stalwart  righteousness  he  dared 
not  teach.  A  hero  himself,  he  found  the  battle  harder  than  any 
but  rare  spirits  bear,  and  he  could  offer  men  no  help  outside  of 
themselves.  Of  a  highly  poetic  and  speculative  nature,  he  looked 
eagerly  into  tlie  future  for  tlipse  wlio  should  fulfill  the  law.  Con- 
fucius, more  practical  and  wanting  in  imagination,  answered  no 
questions  as  to  the  future.  In  the  old  faith  Buddha  found  Nir- 
vana, absorption  into  Brahm,  but  his  soul  shrunk  from  contact  with 
the  unholy  divinities  of  the  Brahmins.  In  accordance  ffith  that 
law  of  the  mind  that  causes  the  Mohammedan  t^  look  for  heaven 
as  a  place  of  sensual  enjoyments  ;  that  teaches  the  Greenlander  to 
describe  hell  as  a  place  of  intense  cold  ;  that  led  the  J(jw,  .with  his 
love  of  costly  things,  to  picture  heaven  as  built  of  goldand^ecious 
Btones  ;  that  gives  to  the  American  Indian  a  hope  of  happy  hunt- 
ing grounds.  Nirvana,  under  Buddha's  teaching,  became  a  state 
free  from  irritation,  action  or  even  consciousness,  a  mere  abstrac- 
tion.    The  East  Indian,  under  an  enervating  climate,  where  exer- 


BUDDHA.  183 

tlon  of  mind  or  body,  whether  for  ffood  or  111,  Is  a  burden,  can 
understand    this.     Its   intense   undisturbed   selfishness   hns  Rreat 
attraction  for  him.     Like  all   religionists,  he  s>'eks  to  bepin  his 
heaven  here  below.     Hocuts  loose  from  family  ties  that  he  may  li. 
rid  of  its  cares  ;  he  takes  the  beg^rar's  bowl  and  robe,  that  he  111:1 
not  be  .subject  to  the  discomfort  of  providing  even  for  himself  ;  I 
fixes  his  attention  on  the  top  of  his  nose,  and  in  utter  disregard  ■ 
all  claims,  dreams  his  life  away. 

Buddha  had  a  noble  purpose,  but  long  since  its  vitality  ni 
power  to  benefit  mankind  was  exhauste^d.  In  his  own  woni 
'•  Tiie  lamp  whose  oil  is  spent  flickers  noL" 


NOTES. 

BOOK  THE  FIRST. 

1.  Buddha  : — He  bv  wlimn  the  truth  is  known.  In  India  Wed- 
nesday is  railed  Buddh-kn  din— the  dny  of  Buddli.  Buddha  lived 
to  great  ape,  hence  his  name  is  commonly  used  as  an  adjective 
noun  in  India,  and  applied  to  old  people. 

3.  Sddtirt/itt : — He  b>*  whom  the  end  is  accomplislied,  is  tho 
translation  usually  given  of  this  name.  Tumour  translates  it, 
tlie  estahlisher.  The  occasion  of  BuddhVs  reception  of  this  name 
occurred  many  ages  iM-fore  his  birth  a.-i  a  Buddli.  When  sitting 
in  his  palace  as  a  prince,  in  that  far-off  age.  "  having  seen  Dipan- 
kara  Bodhisat  carrying  the  almsbowl,  he  sent  an  attendant  to  in- 
quire what  was  his  busines-s.  when  he  was  infonned  that  he  was 
seeking  oil.  On  hearing  this  the  prince  called  him  to  Lis  palace, 
and  filling  a  golden  vessel  with  oil  of  white  mustard  seed,  Sid- 
harttba  put  it  ujion  his  head,  saying  at  the  sanie  time,  '  By  vir- 
tae  of  thi.s  act  may  I  hereafter  become  a  Buddli  ;  and  as  this  is 
sidharitha  oil,  may'my  name  in  that  birth  be  SidliArttha.'  "•  The 
Brihmina  collected  at  the  festival  u]x>n  his  birth  said  :  "  This 
pripc«  will  hereafter  \>e  a  blessing  to  the  world — sidbatta  ;  tohim- 
»elt  also  will  be  great  prosperity  ;"  in  consequence  of  which  he 
WIS  called  Sidhartta. 

8.  liflinp  the  fiigfifnt  tplirre  four  Regent*  rit : — The  following 
description  of  these  spheres  and  their  inhabitants,  from  Wilson's 
Vishnu  Pcnlna,  vol.ii. '.261,  gives  the  best  idea  of  the  Hindu 
heavens:  "On  the  Lok&loka  mountain  reside  the  four  holy  pro- 
tectors of  the  world,  or  Sudhfiman  and  Sankhap&d  (the  two  sons 
of  KardamaK  and  Hir4nyamman,  and  Ketnmnt.  I'naffected  by 
the  contrasts  of  existence,  void  of  8ellishnes.s,  active  and  unen- 
cumbered by  dependents,  they  take  charge  of  the  spheres,  them- 
selves abiding  on  the  four'  cardinal  points  of  the  Lok&loka 
mountain. 

•■  On  the  south  of  Agastya.  and  south  of  the  line  of  the  Goat, 
exterior  to  the  Vaiswanara  path,  lies  tho  road  of  the  Pitris.    There 


.P«£«> 

185 


dwell  the  great  Rishis— in  Ursa  Major— the  officers  of  oblations 
with  fire,  reverencing  the  Vedas,  after  wliose  injunctions  creation 
commenced,  and  who  were  discharging  the  duties  of  ministrant 
priests.  For  as  the  worlds  are  destroyed  and  renewed  they  insti- 
tute new  rules  of  conduct  and  re-establish  the  interrupted  ritual 
of  the  Vedas.  Mutually  descending  from  each  other,  progenitor 
springing  from  descendant,  and  descendant  from  progenitor,  in 
the  alternating  succession  of  births,  they  repeatedly  appear  in 
different  houses  and  races — along  with  posterity,  devout  practices 
and  instituted  observances — residing  to  the  south  of  the  solar  orb. 
as  long  as  the  moon  and  stars  endure. 

"  The  path  of  the  gods  lies  to  tlie  north  of  the  solar  sphere, 
north  of  Nagavithi — Aries  and  Taurus — and  south  of  the  seven 
Rishis — Ursa  Major.  There  dwell  Siddhas,  of  subdued  senses, 
continent  and  pure,  undesirous  of  progeny,  and,  therefore,  vic- 
torious over  death.  Eighty-eight  thousand  of  these  chaste  beings 
tenant  the  regions  of  the  sky  north  of  the  sun,  until  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  universe  ;  they  enjoy  immortality,  for  they  are  holy, 
exempt  from  covetousness  and  concupiscence,  love  and  hatred ; 
taking  no  part  in  the  procreation  of  living  beings  ;  and  detecting 
the  unreality  of  the  properties  of  elementary  matter.  By  immor- 
tality is  meant  existence  to  the  end  of  the  kalpa.  liife  as  long 
as  the  three  regions — earth,  sky  and  heaven — last  is  called  ex- 
emption from  reiterated  death. 

"  The  space  between  the  seven  Rishis  and  Dhruva — from  Ursa 
Major  to  the  polar  star — the  third  region  of  the  sky,  is  tlie  splen- 
did celestial  path  of  Vishnu,  and  the  abode  of  those  sanctified 
ascetics  who  are  cleansed  from  every  evil,  and  in  wliom  virtue 
and  vice  are  annihilated.  This  is  that  excellent  place  of  Vishnu 
to  which  those  repair  in  whom  all  sources  of  pain  are  extinct,  in 
consequence  of  the  cessation  of — the  consequences  of — piety  or 
iniquity,  and  where  they  never  sorrow  any  more.  There  abide 
Dharma,  Dhruva  and  other  spectators  of  the  world,  radiant  with 
the  superhuman  faculties  of  Vishnu  acquired  through  religious 
meditation  ;  and  there  are  fastened  and  inwoven,  too,  all  that  is, 
aud  all  that  ever  shall  be,  animate  or  inanimate." 

4.  Thrice  ten  thuwand  years: — A  year  of  the  seven  Rishis  is 
3030  years.  The  sacred  books  do  not  agree  in  giving  names  of 
the  Rishis.  The  Mah4bharata  has  three  lists,  each  differing.  Mr. 
Wilson  mentions  seven  other  authorities,  each  of  which  gives  dif- 
ferent names.  Gotama  name  appears  in  some,  but  is  omitted 
in  others.  The  Vishnu  Puiaiia  mentions  three  kinds  of  Risliis, 
divine  Rishis — or  sages  who  are  demigods  also,  as  Narada — Brah- 
min Rishis — or  sages  who  are  sons  of  Brahma  or  Brahmins,  as 
Vasishtha  and  otliers — and  royal  Risliis.  or  princes  who  have 
adopteda  life  of  devotion,  us  VisHMuiiira  and  Buddha,  or  (iotama. 


NOTES.  187 

6.  Ftee  »ure  »ign»  nf  birth: — Mr.  Sponce  Hardy  mentions  l>i- 
four.  "  1.  His  garments  lose  tlicir  nppearanco  of  purity,  j 
Tho  garlanii:^  and  ornuments  on  his  body  begin  to  fade.  3.  Tli. 
body  emits  a  kind  of  perspiration,  like  a  tree  covered  with  dew. 
4.  The  mansion  in  which  he  resided  loses  its  attractiveness  aiul 
beauty."  Tho  samn  sii;ns,  as  distinguishing  gods  from  men,  nri' 
spoken  of  in  the  Muhabhiirata  that  was  composed  many  centuriis 
before  the  Buddhi.st  era.  At  the  Swayamvara,  or  tournament  ft 
the  beautiful  Oamayanti,  "  she  glanced  around  her  at  the  giitti"-- 
iog  crowd  of  suitors,  and  saw  in  her  dismay  that  there  were  tiv.- 
N&las  in  the  hall,  for  each  of  the  four  bright  gods  had  takiu 
upon  himself  tho  form  of  Ni'tla.  And  Damayanti  trembled  with 
fear,  and  after  a  while  she  folded  her  hands  in  reverence  to  the 
gods,  and  said  in  sad  and  humble  tunes  :  *  Since  I  heard  the  lan- 
guage of  the  swan  I  have  chosen  Niila  for  my  lord,  and  have  thought 
of  no  other  husband.  Therefore,  O  gods,  I  pmy  you  that  you  re- 
sume your  own  immortal  shapes  and  reveal  Nala  to  me,  that  I  may 
choose  him  for  my  lord  in  the  presence  of  all."  And  tho  god's 
heard  the  piteous  prayer  of  Damayanti,  and  they  wondered  at  her 
steadfast  truth  and  fervent  love';  and  straight'way  they  revealed 
the  tokens  of  their  godhead.  Then  Damayanti 'saw  the  four 
bright  gods,  and  knew  that  they  were  not  mortal  heroes,  for  their 
feet  t-udied  not  the  earth,  and  their  eyes  winked  not ;  and  no 
perspiration  hung  upon  their  brows,  nor  dust  ui)on  their  raiment, 
and  their  garlands  were  as  fresh  as  if  tlie  flowers  were  just  gatli- 
ered.  And  Damayanti  al.so  saw  the  true  Niila,  for  he  stood  before 
her  with  shadow  falling  to  the  ground,  and  twinkling  eyes,  and 
drxMping  garland  ;  and  moisture  was  on  his  brow,  and  dust  upon 
his  raiment  ;  and  she  knew  that  he  was  Nala.  Then  .she  went  in 
all  maidenly  mode.sty  to  Nala,  and  took  the  hem  of  his  garment, 
and  threw  a  wreath  of  radiant  tlowers  roand  his  neck,  and  thus 
chose  hira  for  her  lord."  • 

6.  Dttns  : — Gods,  or  bright  ones. 

7.  ai/cyaji : — This  name  has  no  place  in  Hindu  mythology  or 
geography  ;  they  are  ^upjxwed  to  have  been  a  people  living  ou  the 
border  of  Nepal,  and  fonnerly  called  Ukkaka. 

8.  SiidMo<Uin:i : — lie  whose  food  is  pure. 

9.  Miiyd,  th(  Q'lffii  : — Illusion,  sometimes  called  Mah&  M&ya — 
grrat  illusion,  or  Deve  MAra — Divine  illusion. 

10.  An  tlephant  .—In  Burmah  it  is  believed  that  Buddha,  in  his 
manifold  transmigrations,  must  necessarily  delight  to  abide  for 
some  time  in  that  grand  incarnation  01  purity  which  they  consider 
npresenti-d  by  tho  white  elephant.  While'the  bonzes  teach  that 
there  is  no  s\m\  in  the  heavens  nlmve,  or  tho  earth    below,  or  the 

•  Wbwlcr'i  mtuxj  or  India,  toL  1,  VM, 


1 88  NOTES.  I 

•waters  under  the  earth,  which  is  not  visited  in  the  peregrin, 
ations  of  Buddha — whose  every  step  or  stage  is  towardpuri- 
fication — they  hold  that  his  tarrying  may  be  longer  in  the  white 
elephant  than  in  any  other  abode,  and  that  in  possession  of  the 
sacred  animal  they  may  possess  the  presence  of  Buddha  him 
self. 

11.  Vahuka  : — The  cow  on  whose  horn  the  earth  rests;  when 
tired  she  tosses  her  burden  to  the  other  horn,  hence  eartli- 
quakes.  Hindu  geography  states  that  this  cow  stands  on  an 
elephant,  the  elephant  on  a  tortoise,  the  tortoise  on — "  who 
knows  ^  " 

12.  And  oner  half  the  earth  a  lovdy  light 

Forewent  the  mom.  The  strong  hills  shook  ;  the  icaxes 
Sank  lulled  ;  all  fleers  that  bloio  by  day  came  forth 
As  'twere  high  noon  ;  down  to  the  farthest  hells 
Passed  the  Queen's  joy.  as  when  warm  sunshine  thrills 
Wood-glooms  to  gold,  and  into  all  the  deeps 
A  tender  whisper  pierced. 
Mr.  Hardy,  in  the  Manual  of  Buddhism,  enumerates  thirty- 
two  great  wonders  that  occurred  at  the  time  of  conception.  "  The 
10,000  sakwalas— systems  of  worlds — trembled  at  once  ;  there 
was  in  each  a  preternatural  light,  so  that  they  were  all  equally 
illuminated  at  the  same  moment  ;  the  blind  from  their  birth  re- 
ceived power  to  see  ;  the  deaf  heard  the  joyful  noise  ;  the  dumb 
burst  forth  into  songs  ;  the  lame  danced  ;  the  crooked  became 
straight  ;  those  in  confinement  were  released  from  bonds  ;  the  fires 
of  all  the  hells  were  extinguished,  so  that  they  became  cool  as 
water,  and  the  bodies  of  all  therein  were  as  pillars  of  ice ;  the 
thirst  of  pretas — famished  spirits— and  the  hunger  of  all  other 
beings  was  appeased  ;  the  fears  of  the  terrified  fled  away  ;  the  dis- 
eases of  the  sick  were  cured  ;  all  beings  forgot  their  enmity  to 
each  other  ;  bulls  and  buffaloes  roared  in  triumph  ;  horses,  asses 
and  elephants  joined  in  the  acclaim  ;  lions  sent  forth  the  thunder 
of  their  voices  ;  instruments  of  music  spontaneously  uttered 
sounds ;  the  devas  put  on  their  most  splendid  ornaments  ;  in  all 
countries  lamps  were  lighted  of  themselves  ;  the  winds  were 
loaded  with  perfumes  ;  clouds  arose  though  it  was  not  the  season 
of  rain,  and  the  whole  of  the  10,000  sakwalas  were  watered  at 
once ;  the  earth  opened,  and  fountains  of  water  sprang  up  in 
various  places  •  the  flight  of  the  birds  was  arrested  as  they  passed 
through  the  air  ;  the  stream  of  the  rivers  was  stopped,  as  if  to  look 
at  Bodhisat ;  the  waves  of  the  sea  became  placid,  and  its  waters 
sweet ;  the  whole  surface  of  the  ocean  was  covered  with  flowers  ; 
the  buds  upon  the  land  and  the  water  became  fully  expanded; 
every  creeper  and  tree  was  covered  with  flowers  from  the  root  to 
the  top  ;   the  rocks  abounded  with  the  seven  species  of  water 


NOTES.  1 89 

lilies  ;  even  beams  of  Ary  xvooA  put  forth  flowers,  so  that  tlio 
earth  resembled  one  extensive  garden  ;  the  slty  was  covered  as  with 
a  florai  canopy,  and  flowers  were  sliowered  fn'im  the  lieavens  ;  the 
10,000  sakwalas  were  all  tlius  covered  alike  ;  and  great  favors  were 
everywliere  received." 

Similar  manifestations  are  frequently  recorded  in  Hindu  writ- 
ings, witli  tills  difference,  liowever:  they  are  seldom  narrated  at 
such  length  as  in  l^uddhist  writings,  and  lack  the  all -pervading 
element  of  peace  and  liappy  accord.  In  either  Vedic  or  Briihmin- 
ical  traditions,  some  enemy  almost  invariably  appears  to  mar  the 
harmony. 

13.  T/ie  gray  dream-readers : — Br&Iimins  who  make  the  inter- 
pretation of  dreams  and  the  understanding  of  the  mysteries  of 
astrology  specialties. 

14.  Th»  Crab  U  in  eonjnnrtion  irith  the  Sun  : — The  event  occurred 
on  the  d»v  of  the  full  moon  of   the  month  .^KsAla — July,  August. 

l.").   Paha  : — Satin  tree. 

The  marks,  thirty  and  tiro,  of  blesned  birth  .-—Marks  of  Vishnu, 
some  of  them  as  follows  :  ■'  The  feet  of  Buddha  were  like  two 
golden  sandals.  There  was  a  chakra,  or  %vheel,  in  the  center  of 
the  sole.  The  palms  and  soles  appeared  like  richly  ornamented 
windows.  His  Ixxly  did  not  collect  dust  or  dirt,  as  tlie  lotus  is 
not  defiled  by  the  mud  in  the  midst  of  which  it  grows.  His  teeth 
shone  like  the  stars  of  a  constellation.  His  tongue  was  so  long 
that  by  putting  it  out  he  could  touch  his  forehead,  or  the  orifices 
of  his  ears.  His  eyes  were  blue,  and  sparkled  like  sapphires. 
U|>on  his  forehea]  was  a  lock  of  hair  curling  toward  the  right." 

16.  Palancitin : — See  illustration  in  Welwter's  L'nabridgcd. 

17.  Were  the  four  lUgentu  uf  the  Earth,  cume  doom 
From  Mount  Sumeni. 

The  Vedaa  name  the  following  as  regents  of  the  four  quarters  : 
Kuverii.  the  regent  of  the  North,  and  god  of  riolies  ;  -Ynnio, 
regent  of  the  South,  and  judge  of  the  dead;  Indrii,  regent 
of  the  East,  and  god  of  thecfoudsor  heaven  ;  Varuna,  regent  of  the 
West,  and  giMl  of  the  ocean  or  waters.  In  Buddhist  writings  their 
names  are  Dhratarushtra,  Wirudlia,  Wirupak.sha  andjVVaisrawana. 
The  attendants  of  each  number  a  hundred  thousand  timL-s  ten 
millions.  Mount  Sumeru  is  descril)e<l  in  Hindu  geography  as  a 
sacred  mountain  composed  of  gold  and  gems,  situated  somewhere  in 
the  center  of  the  earth,  which  they  suppose  to  be  flat  like  a  round 
table.  Sumeru  is  the  residence  of  the  gods,  is  broader  at  the  top 
than  at  the  base,  and  is  yet  uniliscovered  by  man.  Around  this 
mount  Is  our  earth,  surrounded  by  an  ocean  of  salt  water  of  the 
same  diameter  as  the  earth.  Surrounding  this,  in  regular  suc- 
cession, always  doubling  the  diameter,  are  seven  circular  islands 
and  oceans :    Ist  oooan,  salt  water,  2d  milk,  8d  curds,  4th  melted 


190  NOTES. 

butter,  5th  sugar-cane  juice,  6tli  honey,  7th  fresh  water. 
Hindu  authorities  differ  greatly  in  descriptions  of  Mount  Sumeru  ; 
no  two  agree  as  to  its  shape  and  dimensions.  The  Buddhists  of 
Ceylon  claim  that  Sumeru  is  of  the  same  diameter  throughout. 
Those  of  Nepal  conceive  it  to  be  shaped  like  an  Indian  drum. 

18.  Kumbhaiidas : — One  of  the  signs  of  the  Indian  Zodiac  is 
Kuoibha,  a  white  man  holding  a  water  jar.  These  are  of 
immense  size  and  disgusting  form. 

Ndgas : — are  serpent  deities.  The  upper  half  of  their  bodies 
is  of  human  form,  the  lower  serpent.  They  dwell  in  Patiila, 
below  the  earth,  a  place  of  sensual  pleasures,  and  lighted  bv 
resplendent  gems.  The  origin  of  the  mythological  Nagas  is 
shrouded  in  much  mystery.  A  powerful  Scythian  race  in  ancient 
times  lived  in  the  mountainous  regions,  and  worshiped  the  snake 
as  a  national  deity,  adopting  it  as  a  national  emblem  ;  and  from 
these  circumstances  seems  to  have  been  derived  the  name  of 
N&gas  or  serpents.  These  Nagas  made  constant  raids  upon  the 
Brahminical  nations,  inspiring  them  with  terror  and  an  abject 
fear,  that  led  them  to  worship,  in  hope  of  appeasing,  the  god  of 
their  enemies.  The  Nagas  as  a  people  have  almost  entirely  dis- 
appeared from  India,  but  the  myth  and  the  old  fear  remain.  In 
the  latter  part  of  August  a  day  is  held  sacred  to  snakes  and 
numerous  religious  fairs  are  held  for  their  special  worship.  On 
that  day  the  women  pour  milk  into  snake  holes,  the  doors  of 
houses  are  smeared  with  cow-dung  and  neem  leaves  as  a  preserva- 
tive against  poisonous  snakes  ;  and  in  Ben&res  is  a  well,  called  a 
snake  well,  where  people  bathe. 

19.  Yaks7i(M  : — Brfihma,  in  one  stage  of  the  creation,  produced 
beings  hunger  bitten,  hideous  and  long-bearded.  Some  of  these 
cried  out,  "  Oh,  preserve  us  !"  and  hence  were  called  Rakshiis, 
from  rakh  to  preserve;  others  cried,  "Let  us  eat  !"  and  hence 
were  termed  Yakshas,  from  yaksh  to  eat.  They  are  demigods 
with  few  peculiar  attributes,  and  are  regarded  only  as  the  compan- 
ions or  attendants  of  Kuvera,  the  god  of  wealth.  Occasionally 
they  appear  as  the  imps  of  evil,  but  in  general  their  character  is 
inoffensive. 

20.  For  Headen  was  filled  with  gladness  for  Earth's  sake.  The 
legend  says  that  the  Maha  Bramas — chief  divinities — of  the 
10,000  sakwalas — system  of  worlds— brought  umbrelhis  twelve 
miles  high,  to  be  held  over  the  infant's  head  as  atanopy,  tind  the 
gods  and  men  of  each  of  these  systems  brought  flowers,  golden  cas- 
kets, tiaras,  frontlets,  perfumes,  red  sandal-wood,  and  other  gifts, 
while  they  acknowledged  Buddha's  supremacy.  The  thirty-two 
wonders  seen  at  the  time  of  his  conception  were  also  repeated. 

21.  Chakravartin : — A  wheel  king,  one  of  the  twelve  universal 
monarchs  who  arise  at  long  distant  periods  to  lule  the  entire 


NOTES.  191 

world.  Professor  Wilson  translates  it,  "He  who  abides  in,  or 
rul»?s  over,  an  extensive  territory  called  achakra." 

33.  Th«  rhitkra-ratna  : — \  cliakra  is  a  radiated  metallic  riiip 
used  ajt  a  missile  weapon  ;  it  wns  thrown  while  revolving  rapidly 
on  a  ro<l,  and  was  a  most  dangerous  wcui)on  in  ancient  warfare,  as 
its  sharp  edpo  cut  in  pieces  anything  with  which  it  came  in  con- 
tact. The  chakra  is  the  discus  of  Vishnu,  his  distinguishing 
wea|M)n.  Hatna  signifies  a  gem,  and  is  used  adject  ively,  or  as  we 
sometimes  say,  "  a  gem  of  a  horse,"  or  "  a  gem  of  a  wife."  The 
chakravartin,  having  arrived  at  a  suitable  age,  reflects  upon  the 
merit  ho  has  gained  in  former  existences,  when  the  Seven  gifts 
appear,  one  after  another  in  tlie  air,  and  having  perfonnrd 
marvels,  take  up  their  nl)(>de  in  his  palace.  The  chakra  was 
ultimately  converted  into  the  prayer  wheel  of  the  Buddhists, 

28.  Anm  : — Horse. 

24.  //<w<i.— Elephant 

25.  /«trf.— Wife. 

26.    <A»  vaj/a  leere  siefpt : — In  the  larger  cities  of  Tndin, 

gangs  of  men  are  constantly  employed  to  sweep  the  principul 
streets  daily,  which  they  do  for  their  entire  length  and  breadth, 
with  brooms  about  two  feet  long,  made  of  bamboo  splints  and 
without  handles.  On  the  occasion  of  the  advent  of  a  prince  or 
other  notable,  his  route  is  a.scertained  beforehand  and  carefully 
swept.  When  the  Governor  Ueneral,  Sir  John  Ijiwrence,  entered 
Lacknow  in  1867,  the  road  for  three  miles  between  the  depot  and 
the  Residency,  the  place  of  reception,  was  swept  on  the  morning 
of  bus  arrival,  and  sprinkled  by  men  who  carried  the  water  in 
great  skins  on  their  backs.  That  rose  odors  were  not  added  to  the 
water,  the  natives  would  set  down  to  what  they  consider  the  parsi. 
mony  of  the  English,  in  making  arrangements  for  display  on  court 
occasions. 

27.  lamps  and  jUigi  : — The  lamps  are  usually  tiny  earthen 

saucers  filled  with  oil  and  a  lighted  wick  set  in  one  side,  or  on 
grand  occasions,  talq  lx)wU  are  half  filled  with  water,  on  which 
floats  oil  and  a  lighted  wick.  Hundreds  and  thousands  of  the  lights 
are  used  with  wonderful  effect  The  flags  are  generally  of  gold  or 
silver  tinseL 

38.  iehilt  mfrry  eroicdt 

Oapfd  on  the  mtord-fiayert. 

The  itinerant  tricksters  who  appear  on  such  occa.sions  fierform  In 
the  ojH'n  air,  without  screens  or  admi.ssion  fee,  heni-e  all  may  wit- 
ness tin-  sports.  Persons  of  wealth  or  rank  fretjuently  make  it  a 
point  to  fee  the  p«Tformer,  while  the  poorer  sjK-ctators  exclniin  at 
their  gn>«tneKS  and  Ijenevolence.  The  sword-players  are  simply 
marvelous  in  their  dexterous  ush  of  sharp  weapons.  While  per- 
forming, they  wear  only  a  turban,  and  a  piece  of  cloth  about  tha 


192  NOTES. 

loins.  One  of  their  principal  feats  is  to  keep  four  or  five  large 
butcher  knives  spinning  in  the  air  for  five  minutes  or  more 
Each  knife  is  caught  in  its  descent  and  tossed  witli  such  accuracy 
that  the  distance  between  the  flying  knives  differs  scarcely  a 
finger's  breadth. 

29.  The  jugglers  : — seldom  have  more  than  two  or  three  men  in 
a  company.  They  cany  a  couple  of  round  shallow  covered  baskets 
swung  on  a  pole.  Their  dress  is  scanty  and  without  sleeves. 
They  have  neither  curtains,  nor  tents,  nor  closets  for  retirement, 
and  yet  with  their  simple  outfits  they  are  able  to  perform  wonders 
that  would  nonplus  our  western  necromancers. 

30.  TJie  nautch-guis  in  their  spangled  skirts  and  Iclh.  Dancing 
girls.  Their  skirts  are  often  broidered  or  sewn  thick  with  gold 
or  silver  spangles,  and  their  veils  are  frequently  set  close  round 
the  border  with  mirrors,  each  about  an  inch  in  diameter.  Tiny 
bells  in  shape  of  fruits  or  blossoms  are  strung  around  their 
ankles,  or  worn  on  their  toe  rings. 

31.  Bringing,  on  tidings  of  this  birth,  rich  gifts 
In  golden  trays. 

It  is  a  custom  in  India  that  none  dare  neglect  to  send  presents  to 
a  family  when  a  boy  is  first  born.  These  are  always  carried  on  shal 
low  trays,  usually  of  brass,  but,  if  possible,  of  richer  metal. 

33.  Ooat-sluiwU  : — Tliese  shawls  are  made  of  the  soft  hair  of 
the  Cashmere  goat,  and  are  often  of  such  fine  and  delicate  texture 
that  a  shawl  two  yards  square  can  be  drawn  through  a  finger 
ring. 

33.  Nard  .-—Spikenard,  being  a  native  of  India,  is  much  used  as 
a  perfume. 

34.  IWkises  .-—TaTquois. 

35.  Asita  : — is  a  name  not  common  in  Hindu  mythology  or  his- 
tory ;  it  seems  to  have  always  been  borne  by  men  of  more  than 
average  piety  and  understanding.  In  the  Vishnu  Purana,  Asita  is 
said  to  have  communicated  to  Janaka  the  following  stanzas  that 
were  chanted  by  the  eartli.  "  How  great  is  the  folly  of  princes, 
who  are  endowed  witli  the  faculty  of  reason,  to  cherish  the  con- 
fidence of  ambition,  when  they  themselves  are  but  foam  upon  the 
wave  !  Before  they  subdue  themselves  they  seek  to  reduce  their 
ministers,  their  servants,  their  subjects,  under  their  authority ; 
they  then  endeavor  to  overcome  their  foes.  '  Thus,'  say  they, 
'  will  we  •  conquer  the  ocean-encircled  earth  ; '  and  intent  upon 
their  project,  behold  not  death,  which  is  not  far  off.  But  what 
mighty  matter  is  the  subjugation  of  the  sea-girt  earth  to  one  who 
can  subdue  himself  ?  Emancipation  from  existence  is  the  fruit  of 
self-control.  It  is  through  infatuation  that  kings  desire  to  possess 
me,  whom  their  predecessors  have  been  forced  to  leave,  whom 
their  fathers  have  not  retained.    Beguiled  by  the  selfish  love  of 


NOTES.  193 

Bwmjr,  fathers  contend  with  sons,  and  brothers  with  brotliers,  for 
my  possession.  Foolisliness  lias  boon  tlie  character  of  every  klii^ 
wiio  lias  boasted,  '  AH  this  enrtli  is  mini' — everytliing  is  mine — it 
will  be  ray  home  forever  ; '  for  he  is  dead.  How  is  it  possible  that 
such  vain  desires  should  survive  in  the  hearts  of  his  descendants, 
who  have  seen  tlieir  propenitor,  absorlwi  in  the  thirst  of  domin- 
ion, rompelled  to  relinquish  nie.  whuni  he  called  his  own,  and 
tread  the  path  of  dissolution?  When  1  hear  a  king  sending  word 
to  another,  by  his  ambassador.  '  This  earth  is  mine  ;  immediately 
resign  your  pretensions  to  it.'  I  am  moved  to  violent  laughter,  at 
first,  but  it  subsides  in  pity  for  the  infatuated  fool." 

This  wisdom,  in  truth,  can  scarcely  be  accredited  to  the  Asita  of 
the  poem,  but  is  certainly  worthy  of  the  man  who,  without  fault, 
was  prime  minister  to  the  king  of  one  generation,  the  trastcd 
adviser  of  the  second,  and  saint,  in  the  time  of  Buddha,  of  the 
third  generation.  If  the  legend  were  true,  there  would  be  small 
wonder  that  Asita  heard  Devos  singing,  deaf  ns  he  was  ;  for  it  is 
said  that  at  the  time  of  Buddha's  birth  the  Sekras  brought  conches 
one  hundred  and  twenty  cubits  long,  the  blast  of  which  rolled  on 
without  ceasing  during  four  and  a  half  months,  and  the  Pau- 
chasikas  brought  harps  twelve  miles  long. 

86.  thereup-m   he  touched 

Eight   time*   thf   dusl. 

Before  the  supreme  teachers  ot)«>i.sance  must  be  made  by  the 
prostration  of  the  XxvXy.  with  the  application  of  eight  parts:  the 
forehead,  eyes,  breast,  hands,  knees  and  insteps  of  the  feet,  words 
and  mind  to  the  ground. 

37.  —  thf  ronjf  light : — Aureole. 

38.  —  Cif  foi,t-»,il«  m.irA-jt .— Tlio  telling  of  fortunes  in  India 
by  the  lines  u|ion  the  soles  of  the  feet  corresponds  to 
palmi.stry  in  Eurojw  and  America  :  the  fortunate  signs  are,  a 
wheel  with  many  spf>kes,  an  umbrella,  an  elephant's  trunk,  a 
lotus.  Mount  Meru,  the  sun,  the  moon,  a  tiger,  mystic  crosses  and 
ninny  other  imaginary  representations. 

:19'.  Iht  SuvutUcn  : — My.stical  figure,  the  inscription  of  which 
on  any  person  or  thing  is  generally  considered  to  be  lurkv 
Wil^irs  Sanskrit  Dictionary.  In  the  Vi>hnu  Purfina  it  is  <]'<■ 
Bcribe<l  as  "  a  particular  diagram  used  in  mystical  ceremonies 
"  Til  is  figure  is  found  in  ninny  magical  diagrams,  and  in  Ruiii 
Inscriptions  and  amulets  ;  it  is  the  hammer  of  Tlior  ;  it  is  si-cn  m 
some  ani-ii-nt  Ktruscan  va-ses  that  were  dug  up  at  Uome  in  1817.  It  is 
also  very  cmnmonly  si'en  on  the  ancient  coins  that  were  struck 
by  the  BucMliist  monarrhs  of  India."* 


194  NOTES. 

40.  77ie  sacred  primal  mgns  thirty  and  two, 
TJie  eigldy  lesser  tokens. 

Mr.  Hardy  enumerates  all  these  signs  and  tokens,  also 
the  larger  part  of  two  hundred  and  sixteen  inferior  marks.  Tlie 
repetition  of  these  would  be  tedious  and  profitless.  The  follow- 
ing description  of  a  Jain  saint  adequately  conveys  the  Idea: 
"Beauty  of  form,  fragrance  of  his  body,  the  white  color  of  his 
blood,  curling  hair,  and  its  non-increase,  also  that  of  the  beard 
and  nails,  his  exemption  from  all  natural  infirmities  and  decay; 
these  qualities  are  born  with  him.  He  can  collect  around  him 
millions  of  beings — gods,  men  and  animals — in  a  comparatively 
small  space ;  his  voice  is  audible  to  a  great  distance,  and  his 
language,  which  is  Arddha,  Magadhii,  is  intelligible  to  animals, 
men  and  gods.  The  back  of  his  head  is  surrounded  by  a  halo  of 
light  brighter  than  the  disk  of  the  sun.  For  an  immense  distance 
around  him,  wherever  he  moves,  neither  sickness,  storms,  war, 
nor  troubles  of  any  sort  occur.  Other  attributes,  or  marks  of 
Vishnu,  are  of  a  celestial  origin,  as  the  raining  of  flowers, 
perfumes,  the  sound  of  heavenly  drums,  and  the  menial  offices 
rendered  hj  Indni  and  the  gods."  * 

41.  T/iis  is  that  Blossom  on  our  Jiunum  tre-e 
Which  opens  once  in  many  myriad  years. 

Buddhists  and  Hindus  both  believe  that  our  earth  has  been 
created  and  destroyed  many  times.  In  the  process  of  creation 
"the  part  where  the  sacred  tree  of  Buddha  is  to  appear  is  the 
first  spot  of  earth  that  is  found,  as  it  is  the  last  spot  destroyed 
at  the  end  of  a  kalpa.  To  point  out  this  place  a  lotus  appears  ; 
and  if  a  Buddha  is  to  be  born  in  that  kalpa  a  flower  will  be 
expanded  ;  but  if  there  is  to  be  no  Buddha  there  will  be  no 
flower,  f 

42.  —  a  itcord  must  pierce 

Thy  boirels  for  this  boy. 

This  is  addressed  to  the  father,  and  signifies  that  lie  must 
bear  bitter  disappointment  in  not  seeing  his  son  become  a 
chakravartin,  or  universal  monarch. 

43  ichtlst  thou,  sweet  Queen/ 

Dear  to  all  gods  and  men  for  this  great  birth, 
Henceforth  art  grown  too  sacred  for  jnore  woe. 
And  life  is  woe,  therefore  in  seven  days 
Painiess  thou  slialt  attain  the  close  of  pain. 
The  reward  of  becoming  the  mother  of  a  Buddha  is  to  be  trans, 
lated  in  seven  days  thereafter  to  a  highest  heaven.     The  mothers 
of  each  of  the  thousands  of  Buddhas  that  are  supposed  to  have 
appeared  have  all  died  on  the  seventh  day  after  the" birth. 

vol.  i,  289. 


NOTES.  195 

44  TrdyaMrin»A/u  Eeavmi ;— Tlip  ultimate  abode,  wlmsr 
dwellers  are  liborntod  and  escaped  from  nil  daiipers  of  earth. 

45.  MdluiprajapAti  .•— This  princi"s.s  and  Mahfiiui'i.va  were  sistcr.-i, 
and  both  queens  of  SuddhiVlana.  On  ilic  day  she  was  named,  tlio 
diviners  saw  that  she  would  be  the  mother  or  mother-iii-law  of  a 
chakravartin,  .so  calh-d  lier  Prajiipati— lord  of  the  world.  A» 
children  the  sisters  were  of  remarkable  merit.  No  iutoxicatin<r 
liquor  touched  their  lips  ;  even  in  play  they  never  told  an  untruilT 
or  kille<i  even  an  in.sect ;  as  queens  ""they'live<l  together  like  tw,, 
srikantfiwas  in  one  lotus  flower."  This  princess  was  the  first  wn 
man  admitu<d  to  holy  orders,  and  the  first  of  Buddha's  disciples  lo 
enter  Nirvana.  The  legend  t.-ll.s  of  a  hundred  roval  wet-nurses, 
all  without  blemish  and  of  perfect  form,  and  a  hundred  and  sixty 
thousand  attendant  princes. 

46.  When  th'  eighth  year  pan.ied  .'—The  sons  of  Brahmins  and  the 
ruling  classes  are  inve.sted  with  the  sacred  cord,  and  taught  for  the 
first  certain  sacred  srUables  and  prayers  when  about  nine  years 
of  age. 

47.  yuinimitra  .—The  name  of  the  author  of  the  hvmns  in  the 
third  Rig  Veda,  composed  about  l.iOO  no.  Another  Viswamitra 
was  an  ancient  prinee  of  the  \varrior  caste  who  opposed  Brab- 
minisui. 

48.  ^«>(?/rf.— Sacred  meter,  peculiar  to  certain  of  the  Vedas. 
or  a  verse  from  the  Vedas.  Williams'  Sanskrit  Grammar  defines 
it  "as  consisting  of  a  triplet  of  three  divisions  of  eight  syllable.s 
each,  or  six  feet  of  four  .syllables  each,  and  generally  printed  in 
one  line  ;  the  quantity  of  each  syllable  is  very  irregular.  The  fol- 
lowing verse  exhibits  the  most  iisual  quantities  : 

...  I  V—V.  I  ....  I  V—V.  \  ...  .U— U.|  " 
The  gAyatrl  in  the  poem  for  three  thousand  years  has  held  its 
place  as  the  most  .sacn^d  sentence  in  Hindu  literature,  and  is  the 
prayer  recitp<i  daily  by  thou.sands  of  devout  Hindus.  The  mo.st 
usual  translation  is  the  following:  'Om,  earth,  sky,  heavens. 
We  meditate  on  that  adorable  light  of  the  resplendent  sun.  mav  it 
direct  our  intellKts."  It  occurs  in  the  third  IkhiK  of  the  Klg 
Veda.  The  last  hymn  in  this  book  consists  of  six  pravers ;  the 
one  containing  the  gayatrf  is  as  follows  :  "  This  new  and'excellent 
praise  of  thee,  O  splendid,  playful  sun,  is  offered  bv  us  to  ihee. 
Be  gratified  by  this  my  speech.  Approach  this  craving  mind  as  a 
fond  man  seeks  a  woman.  May  that  sun  who  contemplates  and 
looks  into  all  worlds  bo  our  protection.  Let  us  meditate  on  the 
adorable  light  of  the  divine  ruler ;  may  it  guide  our  intellects. 
Desinms  of  food,  we  .solicit  the  gift  of  the  splendid  sun,  who 
should  be  studiously  worshiped.  Venerable  men,  guided  bv  un- 
derstcndjng,  salute  the  divine  sun  with  oblations  and  praise."  • 


196  NOTES. 

This  gfiyatri  is  personified  as  the  wife  of  Brahmfi.  The  Br5h. 
min  who  pronounces  the  gayatri  is  absolved  from  all  sin.  "  By 
the  sole  repetition  of  the  gayatri,  a  priest  may  indubitably  attain 
beatitude,  let  him  perform  or  not  perform  any  other  religious  act."* 
The  woman,  sudra — low  caste  person  or  barbarian — who  should 
dare  pronounce  the  sacred  words  of  the  gayatri,  it  is  believed 
would  bring  upon  herself  the  most  signal  punishment  from 
heaven. 

49.  Achdrya  : — A  religious  teacher,  "  That  priest  who  girds  his 
pupU  with  the  sacrificial  cord,  and  afterwards  instructs  him  in  the 
whole  Veda,  vrith  the  law  of  sacrifice,  and  the  sacred  Upanishads, 
holy  sages  call  an  Acharya."  f 

50.  Ndgri : — Language  of  the  northern  Hindus. 

51.  Daksliin  .-—Language  of  the  southern  Hindus. 

52.  Ni  : — Language  of  the  Peris. 

53.  Mangal : — Language  of  the  Tartars. 

54.  Paruiha : — Language  of  the  Ancients. 

55.  Tava  : — Language  of  Moderns. 

56.  Tirthl : — Language  of  the  Pilgrims. 

57.  Uk  : — Language  of  the  Herons. 

58.  Darad : — Language  of    modern  Cinnebar. 

59.  Sikhydni : — Language  of  the  Teachers. 

60.  Mana : — Language  of  the  Sages. 

61.  Madhydchdr  : — Intelligible  to  men  and  animals. 

62.  And  those  who  flame  adore  and  the  sun's  orb  : — Persians. 

63.  ZaA-A  .-—100,000. 

Any  earthly  method  of  computation  would  fail  entirely  to 
convey  in  tigures  the  sums  of  tlie  boy's  numeration.  All  the 
matter  of  all  the  worlds  counted  in  molecules  could  not  express 
an  asankya.  The  reader  may  obtain  some  idea  of  its  magnitude 
by  the  following  table  : 

10  dasa  or  decenniums make 1  sau  or  hundred 

10  saus  or  hundreds "     1  hazar  or  thousand 

100  bazars  or  thousands "     1  lakh 

lOOlahks ••    Ikotiorkela 

100  lakhs  of  kotis "    1  prakoti 

1  koti  of  prakotis "    1  kotiprakoti 

1  koti  of  kotiprakotis "    1  nahuta 

1  koti  of  nahutas "    1  ninnahuta 

1  koti  of  ninnahutas "    1  hutanahuta 

1  koti  of  hutanahutas "    1  kliamba 

1  koti  of  khambas  "     1  wiskhamba 

1  koti  of  wiskhambas "    1  almda 

1  koti  of  abadas "    1  attnta 

*  Laws  of  JIanu,  No.  87. 
t  Laws  of  JIanu,  No.  140. 


NOTES.  197 

1  kotl  of  attatas make 1  ahaha 

I  koti  of  iiliahaa '•     1  kiimuda 

1  koti  of  kumiulas "     1  gandhika 

1  koti  of  frandliikas "    1  utpnia 

1  koti  of  utpalas "     1  puudarika 

1  koti  of  pundarikas "     1  padiiiua 

1  koti  of  padumas "    1  katliil 

1  koti  of  katliHS "    1  malm  katliH 

1  loti  of  maba  kath&s "    1  asankya* 

An  asankya  could  be  represented  by  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
nine  figures. 

64.  AittahKalptts : — A  kalpa  is  a  measure  of  time  indicating 
eternity.  A  kalpa  represents  a  day  and  a  night  of  the  god 
Bralim,  or  the  time  of  the  creation  of  the  world,  and  the  time  of 
its  extinction  until  the  creation  of  another  world.  The  length  iti 
a  kalpa  is  thus  describeii :  "  Take  a  rork  forming  a  cube  of  about 
sixteen  miles,  touch  it  once  in  a  hundred  years  with  the  finest 
piece  of  cloth,  and  the  rock  will  sooner  bo  reduced  to  dust  than  a 
kalpa  shall  end."  Anulhcr  deflnition  is:  "A  paira  or  kalpa  is  a 
period  measured  by  the  time  in  which  a  vast  well'  eight  hundred 
miles  every  way,  filled  with  minute  hairs  so  closely  packed  that  a 
river  hurried  over  them  without  penetrating  the  interstices  could 
be  emptied  at  the  rate  of  one  luiir  a  century. f  Were  the  earth  to 
increase  in  elevation  one  inch  in  a  centur)-,  the  elevation  would 
extend  to  twenty-eight  miles  before  an  antah-kalpa  would  be 
concluded."  "  Twenty  antahkalpas  make  an  asankya-kalpa  ;  four 
asankya-kalpas  make  a  maha-kulpa." 
6.5.  (Vor ;— 10,000,000. 

66.  Paramanui : — The  invisible  base  of  all  aggregate  bodies. 

67.  Paratukuhma  .-—Fairy  atom. 

68.  TroMirene: — Ten  tnt-iarenes  make  one  particle  of  dust. 

69.  Likhya  .—A  stroke  of  the  pen. 

70.  Yuka  .—A  louse. 

71.  JTunjr  .—Pulse. 

73.  A  breath  :—T\\o  distance  to  which  a  cooly  can  carry  the 
native  yoke,  with  a  load  attached  at  either  end,  without  putting 
down  the  bnrdrn. 

73.  (r'rtif ; — Two  to  two  and  a  half  miles. 

74.  IViVimj; — The  length  of  a  yujana  varies  greatly — from  four 
and  a  half  miles  to  sixteen  miles. 

7.5.   Ourri  : — Master. 

76.  DnadaUa  : — Signifies  god-given,  a  common  name  in  India 
Tliia  Devadatta  is  one  of  the  five  ]><<rsons  of  whom   it  is  recordci 

•  Maniul  of  Boddhiim,  p.  S. 

t  WlUoo't  Bcllglon*  o(  the  Hlndaa,  vol.  I,  SOt). 


'9^  NOTES. 

tliey  went  to  naraka — hell.     His  offense  was  that  he  tempted  some 
of  the  followers  of  Baddha  to  forsake  him,  and  fell  into  heresy. 

77.  Dimn  :—Coart. 

78.  A  liooded  snake : — Cobra. 

79.  the  pile  flames  for  me  : — Cremation. 

80.  Ill  the  mango-sprays ; — The  mango  is  a  spreading  tree  of 
rapid  growth,  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  height,  the  stem  only  rising 
eighfor  ten  feet  before  it  divides  into  branches.  The  dark  glossv 
leaves,  about  eight  inches  in  length,  have  a  sweet  resinous  smell, 
and  are  so  densely  set  as  to  be  impenetrable  to  the  sun's  burning- 
rays,  and  form  a  most  grateful  shade.  The  fruit  is  abundant  and 
highly  prized. 

81.  Siin-bii'ds : — Paroquets. 
83.  Mynas  : — Indian  robin. 

83.  Egret : — A  dark,  plain  plumaged  bird,  that  is  a  constant  com- 
panion of  the  black,  hairless,  domestic  buffalo. 

84.  About  the  painted  temple  peacocks  flew  : — The  Hindu  temples 
are  built  of  bricli  and  stuccoed  over  with  a  white  cement.  Its 
shining  surface  is  gayly  ornamented  with  outlined  paintings  of 
gods,  saints,  sacred  animals  and  geometric  designs.  Peacocks  are 
considered  sacred,  and  often  belong  to  temples. 

85.  The  blue  doves  cooed  from  every  well : — The  wells  are  built  up 
with  wide  masonry  curbs,  on  the  top  of  which  are  little  shallows 
for  resting  the  round  water  jars.  The  water  gathers  in  these  shal- 
lows, and  from  thom  the  birds  drink.  In  the  temporary  wells, 
dug  in  the  sand,  doves  build  Jheir  nests  in  the  holes  in  the  sides. 

86.  Village  drums  : — are  the  constant  attendants  of  feasts,  and 
are  beaten  almost  without  cessation,  night  and  day,  during  the 
two,  three  or  four  davs  of  feasting. 

87.  Bulbtil  .—Nightingale. 

88.  Jambu-tree  : — In  Jambudwipa,  a  fabulous  country  supposed 
to  lie  south  of  Mount  Sumeru,  i.s  a  wonderful  tree  called  the 
jambu-tree.  It  is  one  thousaud  miles  high,  covers  a  space  three 
thousand  miles  in  circumference,  and  bears  continually  a  golden 
fruit  as  large  as  a  water  vessel  capable  of  holding  sixteen  gallons. 
' '  The  fable  probably  arises  iu  an  exaggerated  account  of  a  pine 
tree — the  deodar,  god  wood — found  in  the  Himalaya  mountains. 
It  grows  to  great  size,  and  bears  catkins  of  a  bright  yellow  color  in 
great  profusion.  The  wind  shakes  from  these  a  golden  dust  that 
apparently  sheets  the  ground  with  gold  for  some  distance  about  the 
tree."  *  The  deodar  pine,  however,  grows  only  on  the  mountains 
at  an  elevation  of  seven  thousand  feet  or  higher,  and  could  not 
survive  at  Kapilavastu  on  the  hot,  dry  plain.  The  introduction  of 
the  jambu-tree  in  the  poem,  though  allowed  by  poetic  license, 

*  Manual  of  1 


hardir  aoeord.1  with  fact.  A  nimbu,  or  lemon  tree,  more  probably 
■liadcKl  thi>  young  philosopher. 

H9.  Dhijnna  .— I'onteniphition,  the  first  of  the  four  stages  to- 
waril  Buildhilliood. 

IW.  JiishU  :—SamU. 


BOOK  THE  SECOND. 


1    Champak*: — Trees  bearing  gold  colored  flowers  so  exceeding- 
ly fragrant  tliat  the  bees  seldom  aliglit  on  them.     The  timber  is 
la  ship  building.     Tlie  tree  is  sacred  to  Vishnu.     Micheliu 


2.  Suhha  : — Pleasant  or  spring  palace. 

3.  tfuramma  : — Winter  palace. 

4.  /?.imm/i  .■— Summer  palace. 

5.  M'lh'iraj'i  : — Great  prince. 

6.  Hariuingh  : — Great-homed  deer. 

7.  Command  afttiical 

Whfrg  the  rtalm'i  vutiiU  i/iaii  be  cainpttitora 
In  youth  and  gr>irf. 

In  Vedic  times  the  daughters  of  princes  had  the  choice  of  a  hus- 
band from  a  crowd  of  candidates  for  her  hand,  or  was  given  as  a 
prize  to  that  warrior  who  proved  most  skillful  in  the  use  of  the 
bow.  In  Buddha's  case  he  seems  to  have  Ijeen  given  the  choice 
first,  and  showed  his  prowess  afterward.  This  day  of  choice  by 
a  malilen  was  called  her  Swayamvara.  The  description  of  the 
voung  ItAjas — princes — as  they  appeared  at  the  Swayamvara  of 
i)amayanti,  is  a  fine  companion  picture  to  Mr.  Arnold's  picture  of 
the  Kapilava.stu  maidens. 

"  At  length  the  day  of  harpy  omen,  the  great  day  of  the  Sway- 
amvara of  Damayanti',  dawned  upon  the  city  of  Vidharlia.  And  all 
llie  liiijos,  sick  with  love,  passed  through  the  glittering  l>ortals, 
mid  the  court  of  co'at  colnmn.s,  and  entered  the  Hall  of  State,  like 
lions  entering  their  mountain  lairs.  Ami  all  the  Rajas  were 
adome<l  with  fnigrant  garlands,  and  rich  earrings  of  costly  gems 
were  hanging  from  their  ears.  And  ."iome  had  long  arm.s,  w- 
bust  and  vigorous  as  the  jximlerous  batlle-maco;  whilst  others 
were  soft  and  delicately  rounded  as  a  smooth  serpent.  With 
bright  and  flowing  hair,  and  arehe<l  evebrows,  Uieir  faces  were  as 
radiant  as  the  stars  ;  and  they  filled  the  Hall  of  Slate,  as  the  ser- 
pents till  the  under  world,  or  as  timers  fill  tliecaves  in  tlie  moun- 
tains. But  when  Uaniayanti  enter«'d  the  hall,  every  eye  was  fixed, 
anci  ever>-  .soul  entrance*!,  at  her  dazzling  loveliness  ;  and  all  the 
Kiijaa  gazed   upon  her  beauty  and  were  stricken  with  deep  and 


200  NOTES. 

passionate  desire.  Then  tlie  name  of  every  EAja  was  proclaimed 
aloud,  and  Damayanti  glanced  around  at  the  glittering  crowd  of 
suitors."* 

8.  KapUamstu  .-—Buddha's  birthplace,  situated  a  little  north  of 
Goruckpiir,  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  province  of  Kosala.  It  was 
on  the  Rohini  river,  that  empties  into  tlie  Eapti. 

9.  Soorma-stkk  : — Pencil  of  lead  used  to  darken  the  eyelashes. 

10.  Slender  hands  and  feet  new-stained 
With  crimson. 

The  women  of  India  still  follow  the  fashion  of  coloring  the 
palms  of  their  hands  and  soles  of  their  feet  with  henna. 

11.  TUka-spots  .-—A  bit  of  gold  tinsel,  or  a  stamp  of  colored 
powder,  worn  between  the  eyebrows. 

lit  Tasodhara  .-^was  born  on  the  same  day  as  Buddha,  and 
fore-ordained  to  be  his  queen.  The  horse  Kantaka,  the  nobleman 
Channa,  the  personal  attendant  Ananda.  and  the  messenger  Udayi, 
were  all  born  at  the  time  of  Buddha's  birth. 

13.  Parmti : — was  the  wifo  of  Shiv,  one  of  the  Hindu  trinity. 
Her  gait  was  like  that  of  an  elephant,  gently  swaying  from  side  to 
side,  a  style  that  is  greatly  admired  in  India. 

14.  Tamun  : — The  river  Jumna  that  flows  past  Agra  and  Delhi. 

15.  Ifandadevi : — A  sacred  peak  of  the  Himalayas. 

16.  Ardjuna  : — Named  for  one  of  India's  great  warriors. 

17.  Nanda  : — Named  for  a  god. 

18.  Maiddn : — Plain,  or  park. 

19.  With  tnusic  : — The  instruments  accompanying  wedding  pro- 
cessions are  mostly  drums  and  horns.  Of  a  list  of  thirty-five 
musical  instruments  given  in  an  Indian  hand-book,  ten  are  varie- 
ties of  drums,  eleven  are  stringed  instruments,  mostly  stringed 
gourds,  and  eight  are  horns  or  pipes  ;  the  remaining  six  are  cym- 
bals and  smaller  instruments.  The  singers  all  sing  one  part,  as 
harmony  is  unknown  to  the  Hindus ;  many  of  their  melodies, 
however,  are  pleasing,  and  if  introduced  to  the  Western  world, 
would  become  popular. 

■20.  and  itith  litters  gaily  dight. 

And  gold-horned  oxen,  floieer-caparisoned. 

The  wedding  color  is  red,  usually  that  known  as  "Turkey  red." 
The  bride  is,  if  possible,  dressed  in  red  silk  ;  the  palanquins  are 
hung  around  with  red,  also  the  carriages.  The  horns  of  the 
oxen  are  gilded  or  colored  with  red  ;  also  their  tails  and  hoofs  ; 
also  the  manes,  tails  and  hoofs  of  horses  that  may  be  in  the  pro- 
cession ;  bells  are  hung  upon  the  carriage- wheels,  and  garlands  of 
strung  jasmine  blossoms  are  put  about  the  necks  of  the  oxen. 

21.   J'en  gates : — Twenty  miles. 

*  Wheeler's  History  of  India,  vol.  1.  483. 


23.  A  eottry-Attt  :—\a  »bont  two-tliirds  of  an  Incn  in  lengtli. 

83.  Oold  tdri: — A  large  veil  nearly  enwrapping  the  wliolo 
person. 

34.  Siiihah<imu'$  boie:—Tho  bow  of  his  grandfather. 

3ij.  Then  thf  Prince,  lightly  leaning,  bent  the  boto  :— The  lpgon<l. 
with  usual  extravagance  of  description,  says  that  Siddliurtlia  looli 
"  tliis  lx>w  that  re<iuir<'d  the  strt-ngili  of  a  thousand  men  to  bend 
it,  and  placing  thf  lower  end  on  the  nail  of  the  great  toe  of  his 
right  foot,  without  standing  up,  thrunimi'd  the  string  of  the  how 
with  his  finger  nail  as  en.sily  as  if  it  were  merely  the  bow  liv 
which  cotton  is  cleaned."  The  vibration  rolled  ten  thousniul 
miles.  Then  ho  placed  four  plantain  trees  at  the  comers  of  n 
aquare,  and  by  one  flight  of  the  arrow  pierced  them  all.  Marvel- 
ous archery  is  a  favorite  theme  in  the  mylliolngy,  history  and 
Dtry  of  India.  In  the  KamiWan,  the  great 'epic  poem  of 
ia.  an  archery  f.at  even  greater  than  this  of  Siddhnrtns  i.s 
described.  Rama,  the  hero  of  the  poem,  at  the  winning  of  his 
wife  Sita,  used  a  bow  which  had  recpiired  the  combined  strength 
of  live  thousand  youths  to  fetch  in  its  casket.     K&ma 

"  Before  the  thonMnds  of  the  conrt. 
The  wrapon  by  the  middle  rained, 
Th«t  all  Ihe  crowd  Ir.  wonder  Razed. 
With  Plead}  arm  the  Ktrlne  he  drew, 
TUI  borKt  the  mi-lity  Ixjw  in  two. 
A»  snappwl  ilie  how  In  awful  clanc, 
load  a."  Ihe  nhriek  "f  lemix-stp  rane. 
The  .■  .rth  nirrighted  shm.k  amain, 
Aa  wlien  a  hill  i->  lent  In  tngin  ; 
Then  iien»eli-«  at  the  fea,'ful  Bound, 
The  people  fell  upon  the  Rmund  ; 
None  save  the  nine,  the  princely  pair. 
And  the  fcreal  aoint  the  ahock  could  bear." 

In  the  MahAbhiirala  several*  wonderful  feats  of  atx:herv  aro 
di'ScrilKMl,  but  none  can  l>o  more  appropriately  given  in  thi.s  con- 
nectiou  than  .some  extracts  from  the  Swayamvara  of  Draupadi. 

•'  .And  when  they  reached  that  city  they  found  a  vast  numliei-  of 
RAja-s  encamped,  with  a  great  host"  of  troops  and  elephants,  ami 
mnl'idides  of  Brahmins,  Kslmtriyas,  traveling  merchants,  show- 

'   spectators.      And  there  wa.s  Krt  apart  without  the  city  a 

ill  inclos..!  by  barriers,  in  which  the  Kajas  were  to  ex 
r  skill  in  archery  ;  and  around  the  plain  were  many  glit- 
vilions  for  the  lodging  of  the  more  distingni.shed  guests, 
riu-i.'il  galleries  from  which  to  Ixhold  the  performances. 
■>■■  end  of  the  ).lain  was  a  tall  pole,  and  on  the  top  of  this 
a  iT'ilden  fish,  and  b.  low  the  fish  was  a  chakra  ever 
roun.l  ;  and  the  role  of  the  Swayamvara  was,  that  who- 


ever  discharged  an  arrow  throngli  the  chakra  at  the  first  shot,  and 
struck  the  eye  of  the  golden  fish,  that  man  should  be  the  husband 
of  the  daughter  of  Raja  Draupada." 

After  sixteen  dars  of  feasting,  "  the  moment  arrived  .vhen  the 
young  Princess  was  to  exhibit  herself  in  all  her  loveliness  to  those 
who  hoped  to  gain  her  for  a  bride,  and  tlie  beautiful  damsel  wsis 
dressed  in  elegant  array,  and  adorned  with  radiant  gems,  and  led 
into  the  arena,  carrying  in  her  hand  the  garland  which  she  was 
to  throw  over  the  neck  of  that  fortunate  hero  who  might  have  the 
fortune  to  win  her  to  be  his  wife.  Then  the  different  choirs  of 
Brahmins  chanted  Vedic  hymns  to  the  glory  and  praise  of  tlie 
gods,  and  filled  the  heavens  and  the  earth  with  the  music  of  their 
prayers.  After  this,  and  amidst  a  universal  silence,  the  Prince 
Dhrishta-dyamna,  who  was  the  brother  of  Draupadi,  stood  by  the 
side  of  his  resplendent  sister,  and  proclaimed  that  whosoever  shot 
the  arrow  through  the  chakra  in  the  first  attempt  and  struck  the 
eye  of  the  golden  fish  should  have  the  Princess  for  his  wife. 
Then  the  Prince  told  into  the  ears  of  Draupadi  the  name  and 
lineiige  of  every  one  of  her  suitors  ;  and  he  also  told  her,  in  the 
hearing  of  all,  that  she  must  place  the  garland  round  the  neck  of 
the  man  who  struck  the  fish,  and  accept  him  for  her  husband  from 
that  day.  Dhrishta-dyumna  tlien  turned  to  the  Rajas  and  chief- 
tains and  said,  '  Here  stands  this  lady,  my  sister  ;  whoever  feels 
confident  in  his  skill  and  strength  that  he  can  hit  the  mark  in  a 
single  trial,  let  him  arise  and  fulfill  the  conditions  of  the  Sway- 
am  vara. 

"  At  these  words  the  Rajas  arose  from  theirseats  and  approached 
the  pole  on  which  the  golden  fish  was  fixed,  and  the  chakra  below 
it  ever  turning  round,  and  they  viewed  the  strong  and  heavy  bow 
from  which  the  arrow  was  to  be  discharged.  Now  every  man  was 
jealous  of  the  other,  and  yet  for  a  long  while  no  chieftain  would 
take  up  the  bow,  lest  he  should  fail  to  bend  it,  and  thus  excite  the 
laughter  of  the  multitude.  Presently  a  Raja  stepped  before  his 
fellows  and  tried  to  bend  the  bow,  but  could  not,  and  another  and 
yet  another  essayed  in  like  manner  to  string  the  bow,  but  all  were 
alike  unable  to  do  so  because  of  its  great  size  and  strength.  Then 
many  of  the  Rajas  made  the  attempt,  and  they  strained  themselves 
to  the  very  uttermost,  casting  aside  their  robes  and  collars,  and 
putting  forth  their  whole  strength,  but  not  one  amongst  them 
could  bend  the  bow. 

"  All  this  time  the  Pandavas — five  brother  princes — had  beer, 
standing  amongst  tlie  crowd  disguised  as  Brahmins,  but  suddenly 
Arjuna,  one  of  tiie  brothers,  advanced  and  lifted  the  bow,  and  a 
cry  of  astonishment  ran  through  the  assembly  at  seeing  a  Brah- 
min attempt  to  compete  at  a  Swayamvara.  Some  there  were  who 
jeered  at  Arjuna,  and  said,   '  ShUl  a  Brahmin  do  this  great  thing 


NOTES.  aQ3 

which  all  the  mighty  Ui'ijas  have  failed  to  do?'  Ollters  rrieil, 
'  Unless  tliH  Brithmiu  knuw  hU  own  skill  and  strength,  ho  would 
not  niakt)  the  essay.  And  all  ihu  rral  Bnihiuins  that  were  |>r<-s- 
ent  were  fearful  le.st  the  attempt  should  olTend  tho  UAjas,  so  that 
the  KaJB-s  should  give  them  no  gifts,  and  they  entreated  Arjunn 
to  withdraw  ;  but  Arjuna  was  heedless  alike  of  words  of  blaiue  or 
words  of  eucouragement.  and  he  offered  up  a  mental  prayer  to  his 
tutor  Uroua,  and  then  bent  the  bow  and  drew  the  cord,  luid  fitting 
tlio  arrow  to  tliu  string,  ho  discharged  it  through  the  center  of  the 
chakra,  and  struck  tho  eye  of  the  gnlden  fish.  Then  a  roar 
of  acclamations  arose  from  tho  vast  assembly  like  the  crash  and 
roll  of  distant  thunder,  and  the  Brahmins  waved  their  scarfs  in 
the  greatness  of  their  delight,  and  tho  drums  and  trumpets 
filled  the  air  with  joyous  music.  And  the  bcoutiful  Draupadi 
was  filled  with  joy  and  wonder  at  tho  youtli  and  grace  of 
the  hero  who  struck  tho  golden  fish,  and  she  came  forward  as 
she  had  l>een  coumianded  by  her  brother,  and  threw  the  garland 
round  tho  neck  of  Arjuna  aiid  permitted  him  to  lead  her  away, 
according  to  the  rule  of  tlie  Swayamvara."  * 

To  the  single  arrow  test  of  the  earlier  centuries,  other  feats  of 
strength  and  skill  were  8ubse<iuently  added  ;  hut  ultimately  the 
Swayamvara  was  abamloned  on  account  of  the  feuds  and  wars  that 
arose  from  the  jealousies  and  hatreds  that  these  a.ssemblies  excited, 
and  the  custom  of  infant  marriages  was  introduced,  thus  preclude 
Inir  such  occa-sions  of  war. 

26.  Andelurta  TaUta-tree : — Palm-tree. 

27.  iHx  Jiiigi-ra  Uiiek: — This  must  be  understood  as  the  tcidth  of 
six  fingers  laid  one  against  another,  not  a3  six  lingers'  length. 

2vJ.  Si/ce.t : — (J rooms. 

29.  ji/iiit  .-—Evil  spirit. 

80.  Moffra  : — Double  Arabian  jasmine. 

31.  Kutd  grata  : — "  Evej-y  law  Inwk  and  almost  every  poem  in 
San.skrit  contains  f  reouent  allusion  to  the  holiness  of  this  plant, 
and  in  the  fourth  veda  we  have  the  following  address  to  it  at  the 
••lo«e  of  a  terribli-  in.aatation  :  '  Thee.  O  Dharba,  the  learned  pro- 
claim a  divinity  not  subject  to  age  or  death  ;  thee  they  call  the 
armor  of  Indra,  thei)reserverof  religions,  the  destroyer  of  enemies, 
a  gem  that  giveth  increa.s<>  to  the  fields.  At  the  time  when  the 
ocean  resounded,  when  the  clouds  murmured,  and  the  lightnings 
flashed,  then  was  Dharba  produced,  pure  as  a  drop  of  line  gold  I' 
Some  of  the  leaves  ta|H'r  to  a  most  acute  evanescent  point,  wlienco 
tho  I'andits  often  say  of  a  very  sharp-minded  man,  that  his  intel- 
lects are  as  acute  as  the  |x>inl  of  a  kusiileaf."f  Pandits — Hindu 
ti'ach.TH— say  that  the  kus/i  gra-vs  is  ctjual  in  sanctity  to  gold,  as  botlr 

•  Wlicrlcr'n  History  of  Indii.  vol.  I,  119. 

r  Sli  Wm.  JoDca,  vol.  II,  Kii*aj  on  FlanM  o{  India. 


204  NOTES. 

are  produced  from  the  earth,  and  as  gold  is  the  chief  of  metals,  so  is 
this  of  grasses.  It  is  especially  holy,  and  is  in  great  demand  in  al- 
most all  the  native  offerings  and  religious  ceremonies  of  the  Hin. 
dus,  particularly  in  presenting  water  to  the  manes  of  their  ances. 
tors.  The  reason  of  selecting  it  is,  that  the  mouths  of  these  ghosts 
are  so  small  at  first  that  the  libation  offered  them  can  only  enter  by 
being  poured  along  one  of  these  fine  sharp  roots.  It  i.s  considered 
very  desirable  that  a  man  should  die  upon  a  bed  of  kusa,  and  it  is 
consequently  the  duty  of  attendant  relations  to  spread  the  grass  on 
•  lie  floor,  and  after  covering  it  with  a  cloth,  to  lay  the  dying  man 
upon  it,  in  order  that  he  may  emit  his  last  breath  in  that  hallo  wed 
position."  * 

33.  J^A^eZ  .-—Marsh. 

33.  Neem : — Margosa,  or  hitter  tree, — Melia  azadirachta — or  ash 
leaved  bead  tree  ;  considered  sacred,  as  it  once  had  the  honor  of 
supporting  the  sun.  An  eminent  saint  visited  another  saint  named 
Bhaskara  Acharya,  who  was  supposed  to  have  been  an  incarnation 
of  the  sun.  The  two  saints  were  engaged  in  discussion  until  sunset, 
when  Bhaskara  offered  his  guest  food.  Neither  of  them  could  eat 
after  dark,  so  Bhaskara  stopped  the  further  descent  of  the  sun,  and 
ordered  him  to  take  up  his  abode  in  a  neighboring  neem  tree  until 
the  food  should  be  cooked  and  eaten,  and  the  sun  obeyed. 

34.  Mesha  : — The  sign  of  Aries. 

35.  Oadi : — Cushion,  throne  or  exalted  seat. 

36.  TJie  arm-threads  tied: — This  ceremony  is  conducted  with 
more  state  and  solemnity  than  any  other  during  the  marriage  festi- 
val. It  consists  in  fastening  on  the  right  wrist  of  the  young 
man,  and  on  the  left  of  the  girl,  a  bit  of  saffron,  called  the  kau- 
kanam. 

37.  The  riee  and  attar  throim  : — During  the  wedding  ceremo- 
nies, which  usually  last  about  five  days,  two  baskets,  made  of 
bamboo,  are  placed  close   together  ;  the  bride  steps  into  one,  the 

I  bridegroom  into  the  other.  Two  other  baskets  are  brought  filled 
Av-ith  ground  rice  ;  the  husband  empties  one  over  the  head  of  the 
liride,  and  she  pours  the  other  over  him  ;  this  they  repeat  until 
they  are  weary  or  are  admonished  that  it  is  enough.  In  the  mar- 
riage of  princes  pearls  and  perfumes  are  sometinies  used  in  place 
of  rice.f 

The  sewn  steps  taken  thrice  around  the  fire  .--—The  sacred 
fire,  and  the  three  circuits  which  the  young  couple  make  around 
the  fire,  indicate  the  ratification  of  a  mutual  agreement  between 
them,  as  there  is  nothing  more  solemn  than  what  is  transacted 
over  this  element,  which,  among  the  Hindus,  is  the  most  pure  of 


NOTES.  205 

the  deities,  and  therefore  fitter  tlian  all  others  to  ratify  tlio  solemn 
oaths  of  n'hich  it  is  the  must  faithful  inemorial."  * 

38.  MaiUnu: — are  variously  hymns,  incantations,  prayers  or 
ascriptions  of  praise  to  the  gods.  It  is  with  gri'nt  reluctance 
tliat  the  Hindus  communicate  these  to  any  other  than  those  of 
their  own  caste.  Mr.  Wilson  fully  understood  the  dislike  Hindus 
have  ufiniparting  these  sacred  words,  and  seriously  doubted 
if   they  could    be   tmsted  even  when   they  professed   to    impart 

3U.  Rohini : — A  river  in  the  eastern  part  of  Oude. 

40.  Guiiga  : — Ganges. 

41.  <SW  ; — A  common  timber  tree,  Shorea  robusta. 

42.  Ganthi  fioictra  : — Clusters  of. 

43.  Korthienrd»  soared 
The  stainle»a  ntmitt  of  huge  Bimala't  vxiU. 

This  is  a  t>eautiful  and  most  accurate  description  of  the  Him- 
alaya moimtain^i.     The  closing  lines 

under  thene  t!tf  plain 

Oleamtd  lik<-  a  praying  ^urpct  at  the  foot 

Of  thoae  diciiifU  attars 
are  unsurpassed  for  truth  and  beauty.  Tlie  combined  views  of  the 
snowy  range  and  the  plains  from  the  lower  ranges — seven  to  ten 
thou.sand  feet — are  magnifioent  beyond  description.  The  specta- 
tor, looking  away  to  the  snows  a  hundred  miles  distant  on  the  one 
hand,  and  over  the  plains  for  thirty  or  forty  miles  on  tlie  other, 
with  hill,  mountain  ai.J  valley  rising  and  falling  far  away  to 
the  east  and  west,  has  such  a  view  as  no  other  place  on  earth 
affords. 

44.  Radhdand  Krishna  and  the  tylran  girls: — Krishna  was 
one  of  the  nine  incarnations  of  Vishnu,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
worshiped  gods  of  India.  His  life  wn.s  so  foul  that  no  literal 
translation  of  his  history  could  be  published  in  this  country,  and 
jet  the  story  is  read  to  persons  of  all  ages  and  both  sexes  in 
India.  Many  fine  sayings  are  attributed  to  Kri'^hna,  and  these 
Sanskrit  scholars  have  given  to  the  Western  world  ;  but  the  parts 
most  attractive  to  uncultivated  and  carnal  minds  are  necessarily 
suppresaed.  Radhii  was  the  chief  of  his  thirty  thousand  mis- 
tresses, and  she,  not  his  lawful  wife,  is  always  pictured  and 
worshiped  with  him. 

4.5.  bUa : — was  the  beautiful  wife  that  Rfima  won  when  he 
broke  the  bow  that  five  thousand  youths  could  scarcely  carry. 
Later,  when  Kama's  father  would  have  placed  this,  his  eldest  son, 
on  the  throne,  a  second  wife  steps  in  and  claims  the  fulfillnii'nt  of 
a  long' forgotten  promise  tlint  her  son  should  l>e  heir  to  the  throne. 
BAnia,  t.)  avoid  discord,  and  upon  the  advice  of  his  father,  becomes 
a  lierniit.     S[ta  insists  on  accompanying  him,  though   ho  in  the 

•  Abbe  SnlwU- Work*. 


8o6  NOTES. 

most  tender  language  beseeches  her  not  to  undertake  such  hard- 
ships and  discomforts  for  his  sake.  Sita  insists  that  "  wherever 
the  husband  may  be,  tlie  wife  must  dwell  in  the  shadow  of  his 
foot,"  and  for  ten  years  they  wander  in  the  jungle.  They  visit 
the  dwellings  of  the  most  celebrated  hermits  ;  a  female  hermit 
named  Anasuya,  talks  to  Sita,  who  tells  Anasuya  of  her  birth,  and 
says  : 

"  My  preceptor  taught  me  ever  to  reverence  my  mother  eartli, 
and  to  strive  to  be  as  pure  and  true  and  brave  as  slie,  and  he  called 
me  Sita  because  I  sprang  out  of  a  furrow  of  the  ground."  Ana- 
suya says  :  "Thou  hast  indeed  the  courage  of  the  brave  earth 
mother,'  for  thou  hast  not  feared  to  face  the  scorching  heat,  and 
the  biting  winds,  and  the  angry  storm  ;  and  thou  art  so  noble,  too, 
Sita,  for  thou  hast  lavished  thy  beauty  on  the  sorrowful,  and  hast 
sought  to  make  even  the  path  of  exile  sweet  to  thy  beloved." 
R^wan,  the  monstrous  king  of  Ceylon,  one  day  in  the  absence  of 
Rama  made  the  beautiful  Sita  his  most  unwilling  captive,  and 
carried  her  through  the  air  to  his  capital.  Sita  has  naught  but 
bitterness  for  her  captor,  and  tells  him  that  Kiima  will  deliver  her 
and  destroy  him.  Riima  instituted  a  search  for  her,  and  with  the 
assistance  of  Hanumau — the  monkey  god, — who  took  a  flying  leap 
of  sixty  miles  from  the  mainland  to  Ceylon— found  Sita.  A 
mighty  war  ensued,  the  giant  was  slain,  and  Sita  recovered.  To 
prove  her  purity  to  Rama,  she  passed  through  a  tire  ordeal,  and 
ever  since  her  name  has  been  the  synonym  for  wifely  constancy 
and  noble  devotion. 

46.  Draiipadi : — was  the  maiden  won  by  Arjuna,  who  shot  the 
fish  througli  the  whirling  chakra.  By  the  unfortunate  exclama- 
tion of  his  mother,  who,  "on  being  told  by  the  brothers  that  they 
had  made  a  fine  acquisition,  said,  "Go  and  share  it,  you  five 
brothers,  amongst  yourselves  and  eat  it,"  she  (vas  compelled  to  be 
a  wife  for  all  of  them.  Her  difficult  place  she  filled  with  rare 
credit  and  honor. 

47.  God  Ganesha 
With  disc  and  hook,  tohring  wisdom  and  wealth— 
Fropitiom  mte,  wreathing  hi»  sidelong  trunk. 

Ganesh  is  the  god  of  wisdom,  eloquence  and  obstacles.  The 
Abbe  Dubois  gives  the  following  account  of  the  cause  of  the  re- 
markable elephant  head  which  Ganesh  bears:  "  The  god  Kumara, 
who  had  long  entertained  a  grudge  against  Ganesh,  finding  him 
alone  one  day,  cut  off  his  head.  Shiv,  his  father,  was  much 
grieved  when  he  heard  of  the  misfortune,  and  being  desirous  to 
repair  it,  he  made  a  vow  that  he  would  cut  off  the  head  of  the 
first  living  creature  he  should  find  with  his  head  lying  toward  the 
north,  and  unite  to  the  trunk  of  Ganesh.  In  acting  on  this  design, 
the  first  animal  he  met  with  lying  in  this  position  was  an  elephant, 


NOTES.  207 

the  head  of  which  he  cut  off,  and  set  on  the  neck  of  Oanesh,  and  thus 
rt«tored  him  to  life.  The  mother  of  Oanosh  was  terrified  and  ago- 
ni»ed  to  find  her  8on  with  such  a  defomiity,  but  was  jMH-ified  on  l>e- 
incajwHrt'd  by  BrAhmA  tluit  Uanoshsliould  be  themost  worsliiiwdof 
allgotl.s.  (ianesh,  aathe  <;od  of  olratacli-s,  though  he  has  no  temples, 
is  more  fn^juenlly  involiod  than  any  otlier  (lod  in  India,  as  every 
undertaking,  even  the  worship  of  the  puis,  must  l)o  prefaced  with 
prayer  to  him.  Every  Ixmlc  in  the  Uiiuli  and  Sanskrit  languages 
opens  with  an  invocation  to  (lane.sh,  usually  Sri  Oanesha  niima — 
to  the  honorable  (ianesli  respect."  The  following  is  an  introduction 
to  a  treatise  on  geometry:  "  Having  l>owcd  to  Oancsli.  wlioso 
head  is  like  an  elephant,  whose  feet  are  adored  by  tlie  go<i«.  who, 
when  called  to  mind,  restores  Iiis  votaries  from  embarrassment, 
and  bestows  happiness  on  his  worshipers,  I  propound  this  ea-sy 
method  of  computation." 

48.   Xeliimbo: — Dark  blue  flowers. 

4!>.  Ofvnkrf  .-—Silvery  whiteness,  or  panes  of  mica. 

50.  A/r(/-/A.— Curtain. 

51.  And  titter  Timi-iitringa : — The  vina  is  one  of  the  most  ancient 
of  the  musical  instruments  of  India.  A  hollow  gourd  is  fastened 
near  either  end  of  a  bar  that  is  strung  with  three  .steel  and  four 
brass  or  silver  wires  ;  these  are  played  with  plectrums,  usually 
fish  scales  fastene<l  n-ith  springs  or  tied  with  thread  to  the  little 
finger  and  two  first  fingers  of  the  right  liiind.  An  English  writer 
clums  that  "  it  is  an  instrument  of  the  greatest  capacity  and 
power  ;  and  a  really  superior  vJna,  in  the  hands  of  an  expert  \h-t- 
former,  is  j)erhaps  little  inferior  to  a  fine-toned  piano." 

53.  To  that  great  stattire'jaf  fair  s-nereignty : — To  be  a  chakra- 
vartin. 

BOOK    TlIK   TIUUI>. 

1.  Cfiiira  : — The  name  of  the  14tli  mansion  of  the  moon. 

3.  J\'u/MA«;— Kavines. 

3.  .l/airf<f;j .— I'lain. 

4  Km  : — About  two  miles. 

5  C'Tor$  : — Ten  millions. 

6.  The  wntir-fnrrifT»itpinkUdaUih«»trtft» 
l&mii  npiriing  tkim. 

Tlie  water  carriers  of  India  Ix'ar  water  in  goat-skins  on  the  back. 
The  neck  of  the  skin  is  left  open  ;  this  the  carriers  grasp  witli  the 
left  hand,  and  l)y  a  little  dextemus  movement,  are  al)le  to  tlirow 
the  water  in  small  streams  ipilte  a  distance. 

7.  7'uW-ftiMA ; — Ocynium  sanetuni.  Sweet  Iwsil.  The  l)a(iil  is 
coDsideri'd  sacrvd  by  the  Hindus,  and  is  constantly  used  in  re- 
ligious services.     One  tradition  says  that  Tulsi  was  a   nymph  be- 


2o8  NOTES. 

loved  by  Krishna  and  by  liim  metamorphosed  into  this  plant.  A. 
more  commonly  received  tradition  is  that  Tulsi  wished  to  become 
tlie  wife  of  Vishnu,  but  was  turned  by  the  curse  of  Lakshmi, 
Vishnu's  wife,  iuto  the  basil  or  tulsi  plant.  Vishnu,  not  pleased 
with  this,  promised  Tulsi  that  he  would  always  continue  with  her 
in  the  form  of  the  Salagrara,  or  Ammonite  stone,  found  in  the 
rivers  of  Nepal.  For  this  reason  the  Hindus  who  worship  Vishnu 
keep  leaves  of  the  basil  above  and  below  a  salagram  in  the  tem- 
ples, and  adorn  their  temples  and  houses  with  pictures  of  the  sala- 
gram and  basil,  the  women  paying  particular  attention  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  latter.  "  By  Tulsi's  leaf  the  truth  I  speak"  is  a 
favorite  mode  of  affirmation. 

8.  Sicryadem  : — The  sun  god,  who  is  represented  in  statuary  as 
seated  on  a  chariot  drawn  by  seven  horses. 

9  Came  forth  in  painted  car,  -irhieh  two  steers  drew : — The 
pleasure  carriages  of  the  Hindus  usually  have  two,  sometimes 
four,  heavy  untired  wheels.  The  floor  of  the  carriage  is  made  of 
interlaced  bamboos,  and  is  without  springs  or  seats.  On  this  the 
rider  sits  tailor  fashion,  or  for  a  change  with  feet  hanging  in  some 
convenient  place  among  the  wheels.  The  driver  sits  in  front  astride 
the  cumberous  and  ornamented  tongue.  The  top  of  the  carriage  is 
dome-like  in  shape,  and  hung  with  fringed  curtains  of  white  cot- 
ton, or  red  silk,  as  the  owner  can  afford.  The  oxen  used  for  these 
carriages  are  as  much  objects  of  pride  and  care  as  carriage  horses  in 
the  West.  They  are  never  used  for  labor,  and  are  beauti  f  ul  animals. 
They  trot  witli  considerable  speed,  and,  on  the  ordinary  country 
roads,  are  not  excelled  by  the  European  horse  and  buggy. 

10.  Bright-dad  .-—Probably  no  people  present  a  brighter  appear- 
ance on  a  gala  day  than  do  the  Hindus,  of  the  north  country  par- 
ticularly. The  great  majority  of  the  men  dress  in  white  muslin 
coats  and  trousers,  that,  on  such  occasions,  are  marvelously  white 
and  clean.  The  turbans  are  of  white,  rose  pink,  pale  green,  lav- 
ender or  other  delicate  shade,  or  often  of  turkey  red  with  red  kara- 
marband,  or  waist-scarf.  Priests  and  religious  mendicants  wear 
ocher  colored  garments  ;  the  native  police  have  uniforms  of  rifle 
green  with  red  turbans  and  kammarbands  ;  the  women  generally 
wear  skirts  of  dark  blue  or  red,  with  large  veils  of  white  or  bright 
colored  muslin  spangled  or  gayly  bordered  ;  and  among  the  crowd 
is  sure  to  be  a  sprinkling  of  grandees  in  silks,  cashmere  shawls, 
cloth  of  gold,  or  brilliant  array  of  some  sort,  attended  by  white- 
robed  servants,  wearing  scarlet  sashes,  swords  and  gay  turbans, 

11.  Jai!  Jai! — Hail,  hail! 

13.  Jdlini :  Feminine  for  Galen. 

13.  Hastd  : — Named  for  the  14ih  mansion  of  the  moan 

14.  Gautami  : — Feminine  for  Gotama. 

15.  Chinga : — Named  for  the  Ganges. 


KOTE5.  209 

16.  "Ah,   Siefft,"   Jtf  mid,   "  »ufh  romfort  thnt  my  souL 

Ache»,  thinking  it  mimt  tnd,  for  it  iiiil  end.  "' 
Compare  tliis  mournful,  hopeless  fear   of  love's  decav,  ns  seen 
from  n  heathen  gtnna-i)«>iut.  with  dear  old  "John  Ani'lerson,  mv 
Joe,  John."  the  sonp  of  Christian  lovers. 

17.  Indrd  .•— wa-s  one  of  the  original  deities  of  India,  and  before 
the  intro<luctionof  Brahminism,  held  in  the  Indian  pantheon  about 
the  same  relation  as  Jupiter  in  the  Oret-ian. 

18.  The  ten  great  ffijJ»  of  trijuJom  niijiiify  :—yU.  Hardy  enumer- 
ates these  gifts  as  follows  :  "  1.  The  wi.sd.im  that  understands 
what  knowledge  is  nece.s.<Mry  for  the  right  fullillment  of  anv  par- 
ticular duty,  in  what.sooveraituation.  2.  That  which  knows  the  re- 
suit  or  consequence  of  kanuti.  3.  That  which  knows  the  way  to  the 
atUinmentof  Nirvana.  4.  That  which  sees  the  various sakwala.s. 
5.  That  which  knows  the  thoughts  of  other  beings.  6.  That 
which  knows  that  the  organs  of  sense  are  not  tho  self.  7.  That 
which  knows  the  purity  produced  by  tho  exercise  of  the  dhyanas. 
8.  That  Trhich  knows  where  any  one  was  born  in  all  his  former 
births.  9.  That  which  knows  where  anyone  will  be  born  in  all 
future  births.  10.  That  which  knows  how  the  results  proceeding 
from  karrai — action — may  be  overcome." 

19.  Are  thrnu  fnir  fe,irl,.ia  ri>/«<vi.— The  first  path  or  virtue  is 
the  awakening  of  the  heart  when  it  is  perceived  that  pain  is  in- 
separable from  existence,  that  all  earthlygood  loads  to  sorrow; 
then  he  is  awake  and  has  entered  upon  the  first  stage.  In  the  sec- 
ond he  hiees  all  impure  de>ires.  and  all  revengeful  feelings;  In  the 
third  he  becomes  free  from  evil  desire,s,  ignorance,  doubt,  heresy 
and  unkindness  and  vexation  ;  universal  charity  follows  opening 
Nirvana. 

20.  At  Chandra')  tempis  .-—The  temple  of  the  moon. 

21.  Merehanftr.jfie  .—TUe  shop-keepers  of  India  generally  wear 
turbans  of  white,  or  |«le  colored  muslin,  that  are  made  on  light 
frames,  in  a  very  set  fashion  of  many  tiny  folds,  one  over  the 
other  ;  tlie coat  is  a  short  waist  jacket  ;  about  the  loins  is  wrai)p«<l 
the  dhoti  (three  or  four  yards  of  cloth  that  is  folded  to  aswume  a 
trow.sers-like  appearance,  each  leg  being  covered  to  below  the 
knee),  and  about  tho  shoulders  an  ample  shi-et  is  loosely  thn.wn. 

22.  CUrkly  drets  .—The  trou.sers  for  this  dre.ss  an>  white,  long 
•nd  close-fitting  ;  the  white  coat  is  long  and  narrow,  surmounted 
by  a  short  waist  jacket,  fr.quently  made  of  colored  muslin  ;  the 
turban  is  of  loose  and  ample  folds  of  white  muslin. 

23.  The  triidrrs  eruM-Uyged  'mid  thtir  npiee  and  grain  : — Native 
stores  in  India  have  neither  shelves.  rounUrs,  chairs,  stools,  nor 
boxes  or  bins.  Six  or  eight  f.t-t  .-.quare  of  a  verandah  ll.s.r  with 
a  closet  or  two,  is  quite  an  estahlishment.  The  merchant  spreads 
a  few  goods  on  the  open  side  of  Lis  shop  and  sits  on  his  heeU  in 


the  midst.  The  grain  merchants  spread  tlieir  slioulder  cloths  on 
the  ground,  in  the  bazar  square,  and  dump  the  grain  upon  them  ; 
from  these  they  sell  by  weight,  using  balanced  baskets.  Large 
numbers  of  regular  traders  in  spices,  pottery,  jewelry,  toys  and 
other  wares  simply  spread  a  cloth  on  the  ground,  display  the  goods 
and  sit  cross-legged  beside  them. 

34.  17ie  buyers  icith  their  money  in  Hie  doth: — A  Hindu's  gar- 
ments are  made  without  pockets;  pocket-books  are  unknown,  so  a 
bit  of  cloth  carried  in  the  hand,  or  tucked  in  the  waist-band, 
serves  both  purposes. 

25.  Th^  war  of  words  to  cheapen  this  or  that  .-—The  seller  always 
asks  three  or  four  times  the  sum  he  expects  to  receive  for  any 
article ;  the  buyer  understands  this,  and  offers  what  he  thinks 
right,  what  he  can  afford,  or  as  small  a  sum  as  he  thinks  may  be 
received.  ' '  The  war  of  words  "  is  indefinitely  continued,  and  to 
a  foreigner,  when  not  exasperating,  is  extremely  amusing. 

26.  The  shout  to  clear  the  road: — As  there  are  no  sidewalks,  and  the 
hucksters  lay  their  goods  as  near  the  road  as  possible  when  the 
trade  and  war  over  prices  is  fairly  begun,  every  passing  wagon 
must  send  forward  some  one  to  shout  and  shove,  to  make  a  pass- 
age and  prevent  injury.  Persons  of  rank  always  send  on  a  fore- 
runner on  any  road. 

27.  The  singing  hearers  with  the  palanquins  : — Four  men  bear  a 
palanquin,  and  tihree  or  four  run  alongside  for  relief.  It  is  neces- 
sary that  the  men  carrying  should  keep  step,  both  for  their  own 
ease,  and  the  comfort  of  the  person  in  the  palanquin.  To  aid 
themselves  they  call  back  and  forth,  "Hu,  hu,  ho,  ho,"  in  a  sub- 
dued tone.  This  call  they  vary,  by  chanting  in  measure,  and  in 
the  same  tone,  remarks  about  the  person  they  are  carrying. 
Except  as  regards  weight,  these  sentences  are  usually  highly  com- 
plimentary, and  calculated  to  induce  a  larger  gift  of  buckhsheesh. 

28.  Samale : — Associate  cattle. 

29.  Tfie  housewives  hearing  water  from  the  well 
With  balanced  chatties,  and  athwart  tlieir  hips 
The  black-eyed  babes. 

A  chattie  is  a  globular  water  jar,  with  a  short  neck  on  one  side. 
The  poorer  women  who  go  to  the  wells  will  carry  two  or  three 
such  jars,  each  holding  from  two  to  four  gallons,  one  above  the 
other,  on  their  heads;  also  a  jar  in  one  arm  resting  on  one  hip,  and 
a  baby  astride  the  other  hip. 

30.  The  fly-sioarmed  sweetmeat  shops  .-—Candy  stores  are  in  about 
the  same  proportion  to  other  stores  in  India  as  arc  liquor  saloons 
to  our  stores  in  American  cities.  The  sweetmeats  are  not  adul- 
terated with  as  hurtful  materials  as  Western  confectioners  use, 
and  they  are  seldom  colored.  Ghee,  or  clarified  butter,  is  largely 
used  in  candies,  making  them  distasteful  to  most  Europeans. 


81.  TTut  VMter  at  his  loom  : — Tlie  looms  are  worked  by  hand, 
an<l  are  most  primitive,  but  by  cnrcful  skill,  fine  textures  and  ricli 
luatirittls  are  prodaced  from  them. 

:!2.  Till' mttonboir  tirnnijiiiij : — Tlie  cotton-l>ow  is  a  stout  l>o\v 
live  or  six  feet  in  length,  with  a  stron;,'  rawhide  string.  Tliis  is 
twanged  sharply  ujion  tbe  heap  of  cotton,  and  by  its  vibration 
causes  the  dust' and  dirt  to  fly  o(T,  leaving  tlio  cotton  clean  and 
\>  liite.  By  striking  the  bow  at  different  points  a  kind  of  uusic  is 
i-oduced. 

XJ.  Th«iehool 

Where  round  their  Q&rfi,  in  a  grate  half -moon. 
The  Stikya  children  »ang  the  maiitrae  through, 
And Uarntd  the  greateraiidtlie  leiuier  gods. 

In  the  school  the  teacher  and  scholars,  boys  only,  sit  croes- 
legged  wyiciu  the  floor,  without  desks  or  other  school  apparatus 
than  a  book,  reed  pen.s,  ink  and  coarse  pai>er.  The  instruc- 
tion, antil  the  introduction  of  English  methmis  of  instruction  by 
that  government,  was  alnif)st  entirely  conlined  to  religious  pre- 
cepts and  stanzas,  ami  histories  of  the  gods  and  their  worship. 

;M.  The  dytrt  ttntehing  iraUtelolhn  in  the  nun  .—These  cloths 
aild  greatly  to  the  picturesqueness  of  the  scene  in  the  Indian 
bazar,  as  they  hang  and  wave  like  great  ribbons  in  the  still  air 
from  floor  to  housetop,  on  horizontal  poles  set  iu  gables,  roofs, 
balconied  windows  or  towers. 

'.io.  The  llriihmiii  proud : — The  Brahmins  are  usually  taller 
and  fairer  than  other  castra.  For  thousands  of  years  their  pro- 
genitors have  been  the  best  fed  and  must  comfortably  housed  class. 
The  result  is  everywhere  apparent. 

36.  The  fiuirlittl  Knhalrii/n: — Soldier  caste. 

37.  Siidra  : — The  lower  castes  and  laborers. 

88.  iVtf^  .-—Serpent. 

89.  or  eharm  the  hooded  death 
To  angry  dance   irith  drotif  of  batded  gourd. 

The  snake  chanuera  capture  the  most  fatally  venotnons  of  all 
•  :i!il<es,  the  col)ra,  and  carry  them  about  in  baskets  for  exhibition. 
I  lic>  charmers  seat  themselves  beside  the  biusketA,  in  wliicli  the 
Miakes  lie  ap|)arently  asleep,  and  begin  to  blow  upon  their  gourds 
nnd  pipes,  that  sound  not  unlike  a  Scotch  bagpipe.  Presently  the 
snakes  begin  to  stir,  then  to  arise  until  they  stand  upon  their 
U'llies  to  a  height  of  eighteen  inche.s  or  more,  when  they  expand 
their  htxxls,  thrust  out  their  tongues,  and  sway  back  and  forth,  us 
long  aa  the  music  lasts. 

m).  Orbtgn  If'ii  II,  It  birth  : — A  man's  funeral  ceremonies  cannot 
be  properly  {lerformtd  bv  any  but  a  son,  hence  the  great  anxiety 
,v   be  lawfullv  divorced  if  sha 


of  parents  for  sons, 

have  uu  auus,  or  her  husLuud  is  ixpecied  to  Luliu  a  second  wife, 


212  NOTES. 

frequently  at  the  request  of  the  first  wife,  that  the  name  and  honor 
of  the  house  may  be  sustained. 

41.  Lotm  : — Globular  water  vessels,  usually  about  a  quart 
measure. 

42.  Striped  murderer : — Tiger. 

43.  Earundahush: — Corinda,  or  carissa  carandas. 

44.  An  earthen  boirl  with  lighted  coaU : — In  ancient  times  when 
Agni,  the  god  of  fire,  was  ■worshiped,  every  householder  was  the 
family  priest,  and  the  sacred  or  sacrificial  fire  was  kept  con- 
tinually burning  on  the  hearth-stone.  This  has  passed  away,  but 
remains  of  the  old  fire  worship  are  still  seen  in  many  religious 
ceremonies  among  the  Hindus.  Carrying  lighted  coals  in  a  l>owl 
before  the  dead  signifies  that  that  on  the  family  hearth-stone  is 
out,  and  its  remains  ar6  to  be  used  in  performing  the  last  cere- 
monies of  burning. 

45.  The  kinmien  shorn: — Upon  the  death  of  a  son,father  or  brother, 
the  nearest  male  relatives  are  required  to  shave  every  part  of  the 
body. 

46.  Rama  : — A  leading  divinity;  the  hero  of  the  epic  poem,  the 
Ramftyan. 

47.  To  where  a  pile  trns  reared  beside  the  stream  : — Those  who  have 
borne  the  dead  and  lighted  the  funeral  pile  cannot  return  to  their 
families  or  eat  until  tliey  have  bathed  in  flowing  water,  hence  the 
dead  are  generally  burned  beside  streams.  Not  unfrequently  when 
the  relatives  cannot  afford  suflRcient  fuel  to  entirely  consume  the 
body  it  is  thrust  half  burned  into  the  stream,  to  become  food  for 
vultures  and  alligators.  The  funeral  ceremonies  are  many,  and 
vary  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  Frequently  years  elapse 
before  the  last  can  be  performed. 

48.  Such  is  man's  round  ; — Transmigration  of  soul. 

49.  Brahm  : — The  divine  essence,  the  original  Creator;  he  from 
whom  sprung  the  three  principal  gods,  Brahma,  Shiv  and  Vishnu. 

BOOK  THE  FOURTH. 

1.  Chaitra  Shud  ; — The  full  moon  of  March  and  April. 

2.  Asdka  buds; — The  vegetable  world  scarce  exhibits  a  richer 
sight  than  an  Asoka  tree  in  full  bloom  ;  it  is  about  as  high  as  an 
ordinary  cherry  tree.  The  flowers  grow  in  dense  clusters,  beauti- 
fully  diversified  with  tints  of  orange  scarlet,  of  pale  yellow  and  of 
bright  orange,  which  grows  deeper  every  day,  and  forms  a  variety 
of  shades  according  to  the  age  of  each  blossom  that  opens  in  the 
cluster.* 

3.  Bdma'8  UrtJiMy  comes;— The  birthday  of  R&ma  Is  celebrated 

•  Sir  William  Jones'  Works. 


NOTES.  213 

with  Rwat  cerpmonles  and  festivities.  Near  the  larp"  towns  open 
«ir  tlioatricals  are  held  representing;  the  herniitafff  of  Hiinia,  tlie 
tlieft  of  Ilia  wife  Sila  by  lii'iwan,  tin'  Kinj;  of  CVyion,  tlie  war  tliat 
f.>llo»«i,  the  retailing  of  Sita,  and  tlie  trinniplm'l  return  of  Hi'mm. 
Ilio  play  lasts  two  or  three  days,  and  is  witnessed  by  thousands  of 
■  iirer  spectators. 

■i.  Mudra  : — A  seal,  a  signet. 

5.  Angnna  : — A  court. 

ti.  Decii : — Feminine  for  Devas,  bright  ones,  or  lesser  gods. 

7.  L(inkd  : — Ceylon. 

8.  The  chuddah  : — A  veil  worn  over  the  head  and  nearly  enwrap- 
ping the  whole  person. 

9.  A'(in<AJ-»ron<:  .—Precious  stones  worn  in  a  necklace  are  called 
kantha. 

10.  Fw/in«  .-—The  second  deity  of  the  Hindu  triad  is  variously 
represented  in  paintings  and  sculpture,  but  is  most  commonly 
figured  as  a  black  or  deep  blue  man,  with  four  arms  in  which  he 
hiildsa  discus,  a  conch,  a  mace  and  an  Egyptian  lotus  flower,  em- 
blematic of  his  attri1)iites  or  power.  lie  is'llie  source  of  the  greater 
part  of  Hindu  incarnations.  Nine  of  Vishnu  have  already  appeared. 
The  tenth,  that  is  to  bring  in  the  golden  age,  is  expected  toappear 
in  a  temple  in  Sembhal,  a  town  near  Morndabad.  A  few  years 
since  a  long  lease  of  this  temple  was  for  sale,  and  if  the  mission- 
aries resident  in  the  place  had  had  money  enough,  they  could  have 
bought  it  for  a  pre.iching  place. 

11.  Stiitii: — The  third  of  the  Hindu  trinity.  In  appearance  he 
is  always  disgusting  or  frightful.  In  one  form  he  appears  as  a 
white  man,  with  three  ey»^  (one  in  his  f.in'lii-adl,  a  ti^'er  skin 
barely  covering  his  loins,  and  three  snakes  curled  about  his  head 
and  shoulders.  From  his  miserable  wickedness  the  famous  Ling 
hud  its  origin. 

13.  Surya.— The  sun. 

Vi.  So  with  hi*  brow  h«  touched  her  feet,  and  bent 

The  fiireireU  of  fond  eyes,  unutterable, 
I'pi'n  her  tleepiiiff  face. 

Wherever,  and  in  whatever  funn,  this  legend  of  the  rennnciation 

found,  it  always  Iwtokens  deepest,  truest  love  yielding  only  to 
-  .Tn  duty  and  greater  benevolence.  The  legend  of  the  Southern 
i'>'iddhists  says  that  the  son  was  already  born.  "  The  Prince,  in 
r.lor  that  he  might  see  his  son,  went  to  the  apartment  of 
\  L-tVihara,  and  on  opening  the  door  he  saw  the  Princess  upon  a 
iMiK-li,  surrounded  by  flowers  ;  but  she  was  asleep,  her  hand  em- 
bracing the  infant,  which  was  also  asleep,  and  laid  ui>on  her 
Ixwom.  Siddartha  p«Tceived  that  in  order  to  take  up  his  son 
Rahula  he  mast  remove  the  motlier's  arm,  wliich  would  probably 
caustj  her  to  awake,  and  aa  he  knew  that  if  she  awuke  she-  would 


speak  to  him,  which  might  shake  his  resolution,  he  remained 
upon  the  threshold,  holding  the  door-post  with  his  hand,  but  not 
proceeding  any  further.  He  thought,  '  I  can  see  my  child  after  I 
become  Buddha  ;  were  I,  from  parental  affection,  to  endanger  the 
reception  of  the  Buddliaship,  how  could  the  various  orders  of  being 
be  released  from  the  sorrows  of  existence?'  Then  resolutely,  like 
a  man  attempting  to  root  up  Mount  Siimeru,  he  withdrew  his  foot 
from  the  doorway,  and  descended  to  the  court-yard."*  This  de- 
cisive step  taken,  the  legend  again  narrates  the  marvels  that  oc- 
curred at  the  time  of  Buddha's  birth,  wherein  all  nature  puts  fortli 
freshness  and  beauty  in  honor  of  the  great  event. 

14  Numdah  : — Felt,  or  coarse  woolen  cloth  formed  without 
weaving,  and  used  as  a  covering  for  horses,  or  to  keep  off  rain. 

15.  Suddah  D<  ras  : — Demi-gods  from  Indra's  heaven. 

16.  Mohra-fiijicers : — The  mohra  tree  bears  sweet-scented  flowers, 
from  whose  petals  a  spirituous  liquor  is  distilled;  from  the  nuts  an 
oil  is  extracted,  Bassia  latifolia. 

17.  But  when  they  reoxhed  the  gate  ; — The  King,  who  had  fore- 
seen that  his  son  would  attempt  to  escape  by  stealtli,  bad  placed  a 
thousand  men  as  wardens.  This  marvelous  horse  Kantaka,  eigh- 
teen cubits  in  length  and  of  proportionate  height,  proud  to  assist 
his  master  at  this  time,  to  which  the  horse  had  so  long  looked  for- 
ward, resolved  that  if  the  gate  were  not  open  he  would  leap  the 
ramparts  of  the  city  with  the  Prince  on  his  back,  and  Channa  hang- 
ing to  his  tail.  Channa,  equally  as  loyal,  resolved  to  leap  the  bar- 
rier with  the  horse  on  one  shoulder  and  the  Prince  on  the  other  ; 
but  the  devas,  knowing  that  through  Buddha  they  too  should  ob- 
tain entrance  to  the  city  of  peace"— Nirvana— noiselessly  opened 
the  gate. 

18.  Malioa  ; — A  province  of  India  where  fields  of  poppies  are 
grown  for  opium. 

19.  Anoma'swave; — This  name  has  two  significations — illustrious 
and  saltless. 

!     20.  and  spake 

Full  sweet  to  thaniia. 
In  India  it  is  the  custom  for  the  grooms  to  rtm  beside,  or  at 
least  in  full  sight  of,  master  and  horse  when  on  a  journey.  These 
men  become  remarkable  for  speed  and  endurance.  Channa  was 
evidently  well  trained,  hence  stood  ready  to  take  Siddiirtha's  horse 
at  the  close  of  the  wonderful  ride.  Channa  requested  that  he  might 
be  his  master's  companion  in  his  asceticism,  but  Siddilrtha  be- 
sought him  to  return,  that  his  father  and  wife  might  know 
whither  he  had  gone.  The  horse,  knowing  that  his  service  for 
his  master  was  ended,  became  greatly  distressed  and  fell  dead. 
A  temple  was  afterward  erected  to  his  memory  on  that  spot. 

•  MamutiWiJaddhism.  161. 


BOOK  THE  FIFTH. 

1  lidMnrihit  -—A  Prince's  liouse.  The  town  was  fontiorly  fa- 
mous for  iH-auty  an.i  wealtli.  It  was  tlio  capital  of  Magadha.  The 
nliice  liB3  l>cen  in  riiins  for  centuries.  ,    ,      . 

2.  Baib/uir<i  .—Distant  garUeus,    the    cultivated    lands    near  a 

'""s!"  Sartiiti  .■— Thread  of  the  p"<ls.  «  I'ttlfl  stream. 

4.  TapoKin  : — Place  of  devotees. 

5.  ifovtrriffn  enrt/i-hutter  :—UciMd  bitumen. 

6.  ,S(?i7<i>>i.-— l'<Kil  hill. 

7.  Jtijube  trec»  : — Native  of  .\rabin. 

lA>rtl  Budilha  Mtf. 
This  place  of  meditation  was  chosen  with  strict  regard  to  the 
rules  laid  do>vn  in  the  sacred  Ikh.Us  that  say  :  "  Curhmij  the 
senses  and  appetites,  and  breathlnir  gently  through  the  nostrils, 
while  meditating  tho  scholar  should  concentrate  his  thoughts. 
On  a  clean  smooth  spot,  free  from  pebbles,  from  gravel,  or  from 
scorching  sand,  where  the  mind  is  tranquillized  by  pleasant 
sounds,  by  running  water  and  grateful  shade,  with  naught  to 
offend  the  eye,  let  him  aj.ply  I'im.sel  to  his  task  Though 
Huddha  sat  "  niotionl.-ss  as  tho  fixed  rock  his  seat,  the  old  samt 
of  the  MahfibhArata  l)eat  him  all  liollow.  "  And  tlieold  Uisluhad 
sal  in  one  place  so  many  vears  that  a  tree  had  grown  up  between 
his  legs  and  birds  had  built  their  nests  upon  the  tree,  and  serpents 
had  luade  their  holes  all  round  him.  And  the  Rishi  said  that  lie 
had  remaine<l  there  during  twenty  BrahmAs,  and  had  frequently 
seen  the  world  come  to  a  close  and  begin  again."  A  day  of 
BrAhmaismore  than  4,(ttK)  millions  of  years. 

In  the  effect  of  m<-<iitnlion  tho  infant  of  the  \  ishnu  Purftna 
excels  both  Buddha  and  tho  Uisht.  "  Dhruva,  Bg.-<1  live  year«, 
performed  a  jwnanre  as  enjoined  by  Marichi  and  the  sages.  Ho 
{^.ntemplat.d  Vishnu,  tlio  sovereign  of  all  gods,  seated  in  himself. 
Whilst  his  mind  was  wholly  absorbe.l  in  meditation,  the  mighty 
Ilari  Identical  with  all  beings  and  with  all  natures,  took  i>.w.sea- 
sion'of  his  heart.  Vishnu  In-ing  thus  present  in  his  mind,  the 
earth  the  supiwrter  of  elemental  life,  could  not  sustain  the  weight 
of  the  ascetic.  As  he  sIoihI  upon  his  left  foot  one  hemispheri< 
b..nt  beneath  him,  and  when  ho  stood  ui~m  his  "Bl't  f'"';  «''" 
other  half  of  the  earth  sunk  down.  \\  hen  ho  touched  it  willi  his 
t.>ea  it  shook  with  all  its  mountains  and  rivers,  and  the  seas  were 
troubled  and  the  gmls  partook  of   the  universal  agitation  Ih« 

celratials  interfered  with  many  strategems,  but  could  not  induce 
him  to  forego  his  penances,  until  Ilari  himself  oume  to  him  and 
granted  his  wish  that  ho  should  bo  above  all  worlds  and  creations. 


2l6  NOTES. 

9.  Thu*  imM  he  mme  from  noontide:— 1!\i&\,  a  deep  j-eligio>.o 
life  was  attained  chiefly  through  contemplation  seems  to   have 


been  a  ruling  idea  since  very  early  times  in  India.  The  most 
ancient  histories  tell  of  devotees  seeking  union  with  Deity  by  con- 
templation. The  sacred  books  prescribe  various  methods  and  atti- 
tudes to  assist  the  mind  in  concentrating  thought.  "  The  devotee 
must  attend  to  the  gradual  suppression  of  breathing,  since  the 
animal  soul  and  the  mind  act  in  conjunction.  In  this  work  he  must 
first  endeavor  to  fix  the  understanding  by  some  act  of  the  senses  : 
for  example,  he  must  place  his  sight  and  thoughts  on  the  tip  of 
his  nose,  by  which  he  will  perceive  smell  ;  then  bring  his  mind  to 
the  tip  of  kis  tongue,  when  taste  will  be  realized  ;  and  afterward 
fix  his  thoughts  on  the  root  of  his  tongue,  by  which  sound  will  be 
suggested.  After  this,  if  the  mind  be  full  of  the  principle  of 
grandness,  and  free  from  passion  and  ignorance,  it  will  escape  the 
waves  of  passion  and  become  truly  fixed.  He  who  meditates  on 
God,  placing  his  mind  on  the  sun,  moon,  fire,  or  any  other  lumi- 
nous body,  or  within  his  heart,  or  at  the  bottom  of  his  throat,  or 
in  the  center  of  his  skull,  will,  by  afterward  ascending  from  these 
gross  images  of  the  Deity  to  the  glorious  original,  secure  fixed- 
ness of  thought. "  * 

The  experience  of  an  ex-devotee,  as  given  by  the  Abbe  Dubois, 
is  not  only  curious  but  amusing.  "I  was  a  novice,"  said  the 
devotee,  "  under  a  celebrated  Sunyasis,  who  had  fixed  his  her- 
mitage in  a  remote  situation  near  Bellaburam.  As  he  prescribed, 
I  devoted  the  great  jvart  of  the  night  to  watchfulness,  and  to  en- 
deavors to  expel  from  my  mind  every  thought  whatever.  Agree- 
ably to  other  instructions  daily  repeated  to  me  by  my  master,  I 
exerted  all  my  might  to  restrain  my  breathing  as  long  as  it  could 
be  possibly  endured.  I  persisted  in  thus  containing  myself,  con- 
tinually, till  I  was  nearly  ready  to  faint  away.  Such  violent 
efforts  brought  on  the  most  profuse  perspiration  from  all  parts  of 
my  body.  At  length,  one  day  while  I  was  practicing  as  usual,  I 
imagined  I  saw  before  me  the  full  moon,  very  bright,  but  tremu- 
lous. At  another  time  I  was  led  to  fancy,  in  broad  day,  that  I 
was  plunged  into  thick  darkness.  My  spiritual  guide,  who  had 
often  predicted  to  me  that  the  practice  of  penitence  and  contem- 
plation would  disclose  to  me  very  wonderful  appearances,  was 
quite  delighted  with  my  spiritual  progress  when  I  related  to  him 
what  I  had  experienced.  He  then  set  me  some  new  tasks.  Wearied 
out  at  last  with  these  tiresome  follies,  I  gave  them  up,  fearing 
they  would  altogether  discompose  my  brain  ;  and  I  again  betook 
myself  to  my  old  employment  of  a  laborer." 

10.  False-dawn: — The  slight  stir  and  awakening  that  occurs 

*  Small's  Sanskrit  Literature. 


NOTES.  217 

about  two  o'clock  In  the  morninp.  Tho  only  piiro  divinity  in  tlie 
whole  Hindu  pantlitHin  is  rsliius,  or  the  dawn,  ri'prrsinted  as  a 
beautiful  maiden.  The  sun  nud  the  moon  both  wjslied  to  woo 
her,  but  she  turned  them  into  calves  for  their  audacity,  and  only 
released  them  at  the  earnest  request  of  their  wives 

11.  the  King 

Of  Life  nml  Ulory  Cometh  ! 

People  brought  up  in  t  lie  Christian  faith ,  when  reading  of  Buddha 
and  his  teaching,  should  constantly  bear  in  mind  the  caution  nf 
\V.  Hhys  Davids  in  his  article  on  Buddhism  in  the  Cyclopedia 
Krittan'ica.  lie  says,  "  Christian  ideas  must  not  be  put  into  Kudd- 
liist  expressions."  In  reading  the  alx>ve  quotation  our  minds  at 
once  revert  to  God  as  the  "  King  of  Life  and  Glory,"  but  the 
king  intended  is  Surya,  the  Sun. 

13.  After  thf  manner  of  a  liixJif,  haiitd 

'the  riling  orb. 

"  Before  the  rising  of  the  sun  the  devout  Hindu  must  have  rinsed 
his  mouth,  cleaned  his  teeth  with  a  particular  twig,  in  a  particular 
attitude,  and  bathed  in  a  stream  or  body  of  water,  with  repeated 
dippings,  gesticulations  and  prayers.  The  Oiiyatl,  held  to  be  the 
most  sacred  verse  in  tho  Vedas — '  Let  us  meditate  on  the  sacred 
light  of  that  divine  sun,  that  it  may  illuminate  our  minds,' — 
must  be  repeated  "  mentally,  as  often  as  the  worshiper  can  do 
it  while  he  closes  his  mouth  and  nostrils,  effecting  the  latter  by 
rule.  It  is  the  most  orthcxlox  of  gesticulations,  and  is  ])erformed 
by  placing  the  two  longest  lingers  of  tho  right  hand  on  the  left 
nostril,  inhaling  through  the  right,  closing  the  right  with  the 
thumb,  and  when  tlio  breathing  can  be  no  longer  suspended  rais- 
ing the  6ngers  and  exhaling  by  the  left  nostril.'*  After  many 
prayers,  addressed  with  proper  gestures  to  the  ten  minds  lodged 
in  various  parts  of  the  l)o<iy,  to  the  four  cardinal  points  of  heaven  ; 
heaven,  earth,  himself,  the  elements,  his  prayer  and  the  whole  of 
the  gods  in  a  Inxly,  he  addresses  the  following  to  the  sun  :  •  'I'hou 
art  Brahma  when  thou  risest ;  Siva  in  thy  middle  course  ;  Vi.shnu 
at  thy  setting  :  Thou  art  the  precious  stone  of  the  air  ;  king  of 
day  ;  observer  of  our  dee<is ;  the  eye  of  the  world  ;  the  measure 
of  time  ;  Ix>rd  of  the  nine  planets  ;  he  that  blotteth  out  the  sins 
of  those  who  honor  him,  and  expels  darkness  on  the  return  of  the 
twenty-four  hours;  he  who,  in  his  chariot,  bounds  over  the 
mountains  of  the  north,  which  stretches  ninety  millions  live  hun- 
dred and  ten  y^ijanas  ;  Thee  will  1  praise  with  my  utmost  strength  ; 
and  do  thou,  in  thy  mercy,  forgive  all  iniquities.'  This  prayer  is 
closed  with  twelve,  twenty-four  or  forty-eight  obeisances  to  the 


>  WlUon'a  Beliglon  of  Hindus. 


Sun."  *  These  seemingly  senseless  gesticulations  and  attitudes 
are  followed  with  the  thought  that  they  assist  in  fixing  the  mind 
upon  the  object  to  be  venerated,  and  drawing  it  away  from  the 
distractions  of  material  life. 

13.  Togis: — The  term  Yogi  is  applied  to  the  followers  of  the 
Toga  school  of  philosophy,  whose  chief  tenet  is  that  it  is  possible, 
even  in  this  life,  to  acquire  entire  command  over  elementary 
matter  by  means  of  certain  ascetic  practices.  Their  principal 
inethods  are,   long-continued  suppressions  of  the  breath,  of  in- 

•haling  and  exhaling  in  a  particular  manner,  of  sitting  in  eighty- 
four  different  attitudes,  and  of  fixing  the  eyes  on  the  top  of  the 
nose.  They  profess  to  be  able  to  attain  the  power  of  performing 
miracles,  which  leads  them  into  the  cultivation  of  the  arts  of 
necromancy,  until  at  present  they  are  little  better  than  traveling 
mountebanlvs.  They  carry  with  them  trained  goats,  monkeys,  or 
animals  with  some  sort  of  lapsus  naturee,  as  a  fifth  leg,  and  beg 
and  perform  various  tricks. 

14.  BrahmdcMris : — A  student  class  of  mendicants. 

15.  Bhikshiw: — A  higher  order  of  Buddhist  ascetics. 

16.  A  gannt  and  moimiful  band  : — No  nation  has  devised  so 
many  painful  methods  of  seeking  final  salvation  as  have  the  Hin- 
dus; the  religious  orders  and  sects  are  numerous,  and  are  followed  by 
men  of  all  dispositions  ;  the  truly  religious,  who  in  darkness  feel 
after  God  if  haply  they  may  find  Him  ;  the  lazy,  who  had  rather 
beg  than  work  ;  the  vain,  who  love  to  attract  attention  by  their 
seeming  holiness  ;  and  the  vicious,  who  in  a  saint's  robe  find  larger 
liberty  for  passion.  A  few  of  these  sects  as  at  present  existing  in 
India  may  be  noticed.  The  Khakis  are  so  called  on  account  of  their 
rubbing  their  bodies  all  over  with  ashes.  They  go  about  almost 
naked,  and  lead  a  wandering  life.  The  Visaktas  go  bare-headed, 
and  must  have  but  one  garment  and  one  water  pot.  The  Saklii 
Bharas  worship  Radha,  the  mistress  of  Krishna,  so  exclusively  that 
they  even  clothe  themselves  as  women,  and  follow  their  occupa- 
tions. The  Sunyasis  are  sturdy  beggars  bedaubed  with  ashes  to 
make  themselves  hideous.  The  Niigas  go  entirely  naked,  and  of 
all  classes  are  the  most  worthless  and  profligate.  They  carry  arms, 
and  are  a  dangerous  people.  The  Akalis  go  fully  armed;  they 
carry  the  chakra  or  discus,  and  are  very  expert  in  its  use.  They 
can  throw  it  a  hundred  feet  and  cut  off  a  man's  head  with  unerring 
certainty.  The  Wahansas  go  naked  in  all  weathers,  and  never 
speak  or  beg.  They  are  almost  entirely  helpless;  the  people  think 
it  a  merit  to  care  for  them.  The  Aghoris,  a  sect  nearly  rooted  out 
by  the  English  government,  required  human  victims  for  their  sac- 
rifices.    They  carry  a  pole  with  a  shoe,  a  water  pot,  a  skull  aud 

*  Abbe  Dubois,  vol.  ii. 


human  Ivines  fastened  on  the  top.  They  eat  carrion  and  filth,  and 
rub  ih.«ms.>lves  with  it  to  make  thoniselves  disRUStinp,  thus  o.in. 
i^.lline  lU'oent  people  to  comply  with  their  request.s,  that  they 
bay  Ik.  ri.l  of  th.'m.     The  Vakis  believe  in  the  great  merit  of  jM-r- 


Ihrouirh  the  hand,  or  hold  their  Imiuls   above  the   head  for  years. 
The  Vainacharis  re<,uire  lle.sh,  fish,  wineand  women  in  their  wor- 
Bhip.  that  is  conducted  with  great  sei-recy.     Everywhere  m  India 
these  mendicants  may  be  seen  wanderint;  alwut  in  their  filth  or  yel 
low  robes  colored  with  red  other.     They  are  at  once  ob,e<t.s  of  ler- 
ror  and  veneration  to  the  common  people,  who  give  of  tlieir  uani 
eanu-d  and  scanty  store  to  sup,>ort  «''''««  «";««™r"''"*TT!'..rP„. 
17    Oiilu  grrat  Brahm  tndur<»  :   the  Goth  but  /im;— I  he  great 
uim   of  Uiiidu  devotees  who  enter  uixjn  their  painful  life  Irnm 
nligioiis  conviction   is  to  obtain   liberation    from  future   terre-s- 
triiil   existence,   and   speedy   absorption    into   great   Brahm,    the 
creative  spirit      That  this  union  will   eventually  occur  is  to  them 
a  settled  matter,  but  as  the  time  is  tolerably  far  removed   they 
seek  to  hasten  the  event.      "  The  elements  of  form  developed  from 
i.rimarr  matt.r  remain  unaltered   for  a  day  of  Brahm.  an  interval 
of  2.160.000.000  vears.      At  the  end  of  this  p.-rind    Brahm  sleeps 
The  material    forms  which  then  occupy  "■/•/'"'If  .""i*^*    "7/ 
spheres  of   the  universe  are  then  c..nsume<l  by  fire  ;  the  Bre  is  ex- 
tiniruisluHl  bv  mighty  rains,  and  the  globe  becomes  a  shorehss 
ocetn.      The'sages.   the  go<ls.    the   ehment.s  survive,  and  wh.  n 
Brahm  awakes  and  finds  what  mischief  his  slumbers  have  gene- 
rat-d.  he  s-ts  to  work  to  repair  it.    \Vith  the  matenals  readj  jo  his 
hands  he  remanufactures  the  earth  and  its  inhabitants,  and  this 
is  what  is  intended  by  a  s.eondary  creation.     This  creation  is  re- 
iM-ated  daily  during  the  one  hundre.l   years  of  Brahm  s  existence. 
At  the  end  of  this  term  Bn'.hmA  himself  expires,and  with  h.m  die 
all  the  gotls  and  holy  sages,  and  all   forms  whatever  retrogmde 
successively   into  their  constituent  elements,  until    the  wbo.e  is 
"finally  merged  into  tlie  single  or   double  rudiment  of  b.-ii.g,  uni-  . 
versa!  spirit,  or  primary  matter  and  primary  spirit,  according  to 
the  theories  of  the  dualistic  or  nondualistic  philosophers.     Aiur 
a  considerable  inter>al.   similar  causes  produce  sum  ar  efT.-cls 
nntutt.  and  spirit  are  again  in  movement,  the  creation  is  rmewed 
a,„l  the  aniverso  thus  eternally  fluctuates  b^-tween  exi.st.-iK-e  and 
,„.n-exi«touce,   without  any  motive,  without  any  end             nii» 
„!,iv..rsal,  unconscious  spirit  is  known  to  most  of  the  Hindu  sects 
.  lirahui.  the  creator  of  BrAhmii.  who  in  tarn  creates  the  univeree. 
IS.    /,',i>iuirfr<i  .—Prince's  son. 
IJ.   .V,i/rty<j  .-—The  islands  of  the  Indian  Archipelago.      


20.  Tola  :— Two  onncea. 

21.  Sana's  distant  stream : — The  river  Golden. 

22.  Comies ;— Smali  sliells  ;  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty  make  the  value  of  a  cent. 

23.  from  the  unwatched  rice 

Shiva's  white  bull  fed  free. 

In  the  temples  of  Shiv  white  bulls  are  kept  as  emblems  of  the 
god  ;  these  are  frequently  turned  loose  In  the  streets  aud  none 
dare  abuse  them  whatever  they  may  do.  The  grain  merchants 
have  their  stores  dumped  on  cloths  on  the  ground  in  a  most  cou- 
vement  manner,  as  the  bulls  soon  learn.  The  merchants,  to  save 
themselves  from  loss,  when  they  see  a  bull  approaching  meet  him 
with  handfuls  of  grain  and  entice  him  beyond  their  stalls 

24.  Lotd  .-—See  uote  41,  Book  the  Third 

25.  Sdkra: — Indra. 

26.  De-oardj  : — The  prince  god. 

27.  Mantras  .-—See  note  38,  Book  the  First 

acid^'ai^{lptS.-'~^'^"^"^  ^""''  '  "^^^^  J""''^'"  "^  '^^  ™°"°  P'^°t ; 
29  Somajvice  .-—This  drink  was  very  much  used  in  ancient 
worship,  but  at  present  is  almost  unknown,  and  it  is  with  difficulty 
that  a  pnest  can  be  found  who  understands  its  preparation,  it  is 
supposed  to  give  health,  wisdom,  inspiration,  even  immortality 
when  received  from  the  hands  of  a  twice-born  priest  Dr  Haue-' 
an  eminent  Sanskrit  scholar  who  resided  some  years  in  Western 
India,  found  a  priest  who,  for  a  very  mercenary  consideration 
consented  to  reproduce  the  ceremonies  of  the  ancient  sacrifices' 
He  brewed  Soma  juice,  of  which  Dr.  Hang  says  :  '■  The  sap  of  the 
plant  now  used  at  Poona  appears  whitish,  has  a  very  stringent 
aste,  IS  bitter,  but  not  sour  ;  it  is  a  very  nasty  driA,an7has 
some  intoxicating  effect.  I  tasted  it  several  times,  but  it  was  im- 
possible for  me  to  drink  more  than  some  spoonfuls  " 
J^-^.^r^"  ^T *,--^  f^^  °f  ^^'^^  roofs  are  made,  also  ropes 

31.  Tajniis: — Sacrifices. 

32.  ^f;«««(fra /-The  prince  who  became  one  of  Buddha's 
earliest  disciples,  and  who  gave  to  him  the  Bamboo  garden  where 
he  spent  a  large  part  of  his  life.  ^ 

33  But  Buddha  softly  Mid  .-—Though  Buddhism  as  a  religion 
has  long  since  departed  from  India,  the  effects  of  Buddha's  teach- 
ings remain  in  a  most  marked  degree.  Through  his  teachings  sacri- 
fices of  blood  and  animals,  that  previously  were  considered  in- 
dispensable,  were  almost  entirely  abandoned.  The  kiUino-  of 
animals,  eating  flesh  and  drinking  intoxicants  were  generally'dis- 
contmued  save  by  the  lowest  of  the  people.     Buddhism  left  the 


lOTES.  221 

Cple  of  India  vegetarians  and  total  abstainers  from  spirituous 
.  lors. 

U-J.  IIu  tarred  thread: — WTien  vounp,  boys  of  tTio  Bn'ilimin,  and 
some  of  tlie  princes  at  nine  years  of  age,  are  invested  witli  tlio 
triple  cord,  it  cousisis  of  coarse  cotton  tlireads,  that  when  a  man 
miirriea  is  increased  to  nine. 

Tlie  ceremonies  of  investitnre  Inst  four  days  and  are  full  of 
trillinif  detail,  and  very  ei]>ensiv»-.  Hindus  of  every  c«3to  believi> 
It  to  i)o  a  meritorious  act  tocontrihuiu  to  the  necessary  expense^. 
The  cotton  of  whicli  the  cord  is  inado  is  sown,  watered,  gatlie:-.  d 
and  spun  by  Brahmins.  The  instant  it  is  touched  in  any  stage  l>y  a 
|H<rson  of  another  caste  it  loses  its  sacredness  and  must  bo  re- 
placed. It  is  worn  over  the  left  shoulder,  and  bangs  down  to  the 
right  hip. 

35.  SiU-ra.— Indrfi. 

8fl.  Devis  : — Bright  ones,  goddesses. 

37.  8h4*ttr»  : — bcriptural  writings  of  the  Briihmins. 

38.  UratUra : — Is  situated  on  tho  northernmost  aiur  of  the 
Vindhya  range. 

39.  'Sniti  .-—Revealed  Scriptures. 

40.  Smriti : — Traditional  Scriptujes. 

41.  Jnaiia-Kdnd  : — Theological  portion  of  the  Vedaa. 

42.  Karmmtn-Kdnd : — Kitual  portion  of  the  Vedas. 

BOOK  THE   SIXTH 

1.  Ihotmniid  Oarelens  .—See  on  the  map  of  India  in  Colton's 
lar;;e  Atla-s-Uazareelmgh. 

2.  Mahiin  : — Same  as  mohra  ;  see  Note  16,  Book  the  Fourth. 
:t.  tiaiiMr: — Hemp. 

4.  y?fr.— Fig  trees. 

5.  liarabar  hill*  : — The  ea.stem  portion  of  the  Vindhya  range. 
The  origin  of  this  range  is  given  bv  the  Hindus  as  follows  :  Wh.n 
Han&man,  the  monkey  ginl,  and  his  hosts  were  assisting  R/min  t.i 
regain  his  v»ife  Sila  from  the  King  of  C<>ylon,  they  were  obliged 
to  build  a  bridge  from  the  main-land  to  Ceylon  ;  for  this  purpose 
they  brought  rocks  from  the  Ilimuluya  mountains,  nearly  1,500 
miles  distant.  When  the  bridge  was  completed  word  was  Sf-nt 
back  to  tho  monkeys  .still  coming  with  rocks  that  no  more  were 
r.ee<led,  whereupon  they  cast  down  their  loads,  henco  these  hills. 
Between  the  mnln-land  and  Ceylon  a  rocky  causeway  still  makes  it 
nec's^ary  for  ships  to  circumn'avignto  the  island,  instead  of  pass- 
ing the  channel. 

6.  yUlagr  of  Sftuini  : — Named  for  the  army  general,  who  WM 
•t  that  time  the  p«-ac.-ful  ht-ad  man  of  the  place. 

7.  'Ihe  iivark*,  thirty  and  itco  : — See  note  40,  Bwk  the  First. 


222  NOTES. 

8.  8di-branch  i — See  note  41,  Book  the  Second. 

9.  JamMi-branches  : — See  note  88,  Book  the  First. 

10.  Milk  in  the  shepherd's  lota: — In  his  drinking  cup. 

11.  "lam  aSiidm,  and  my  touch  defiles:" — Caste  causes  str8.ng:e 
contradictions.  Brahmin  and  Sudra  will  take  milk  from  one  goat 
or  cow,  but  not  from  the  same  cup,  nor  water  from  the  same  well 
or  spring.  The  Brahmin  will  take  from  the  Sudra  uncooked 
food,  and  fruit,  but  not  cooked  food.  When  I  was  traveling  in  the 
Himalayas  our  coolies,  dirty,  lousy,  ill-smelling  fellows,  would  not 
take  water  from  a  spring  in  which  any  of  our  company  had 
dipped  our  cups,  or  from  the  stream  unless  they  could  go  some 
distance  above  and  get  the  water  liigher  up.  They  would  travel 
thirsty  for  miles,  rather  than  defile  themselves. 

12.  Tilka-mark : — The  tilka-mark  and  sacred  thread  are  never 
given  to  any  one  of  low  birth.  The  tilka-mark  varies  in  different 
castes  and  sects.  One  sect,  the  Kamauujas,  have  two  perpendicu- 
lar white  lines  drawn  from  the  root  of  the  hair  to  the  commence- 
ment of  each  eyebrow,  and  a  transverse  streak  connecting  them 
across  the  root  of  the  nose  ;  in  the  center  is  a  perpendicular  streali 
of  red,  made  with  a  preparation  of  rice,  turmeric,  and  lime  with 
acid.  They  also  have  streaks  on  the  breast  and  each  upper  arm. 
Tlie  marks  are  supposed  to  represent  the  shell,  discus,  club  and 
lotus  which  Vishnu  bears  in  his  four  hands,  while  the  centr.il 
streak  is  Lakshmi.  Some  have  the  objects  carved  on  wooden 
stamps  with  which  they  impress  the  emolems  on  their  bodies,  and 
some  even  cicatrize  themselves  with  heated  metallic  representa- 
tions. Another  sect  wear  two  red  perpendicular  lines,  meeting  In 
a  semicircle  on  the  top  of  the  nose,  with  a  round  spot  of  red  be- 
tween them  ;  others  mark  the  forehead  with  transverse  lines  of 
ashes,  and  others  put  the  sign  of  worship  and  caste  on  the  temples 
and  ears. 

13.  the  nautdi-daiicers. 

Of  Indrd's  temple. 

In  families  where  there  is  a  surplus  of  girls,  one  is  frequently 
dedicated  or  married  to  the  god  of  a  temple.  The  girl  has  no 
choice  whatever  in  the  matter,  and  is  usually  very  young  when 
placed  in  the  temple  service.  Her  life  is  one  of  the  lowest  prosti- 
tution. They  are  taught  to  dance,  a  performance  which  in  itself 
is  not  so  indecent  as  the  dances  of  Western  nations,  but  the  object 
is  frankly  admitted.  They  are  also  taught  to  read  and  several 
accomplishments  to  make  them  attractive — a  fact  that  has  stood 
greatly  in  the  way  when  respectable  women  desired  education, 
left  they  should  be  set  down  in  the  same  class. 

14.  The  piping  bd/istdi : — A  hollow  bamboo  played  as  a  flute. 

15.  A  three-string  sitdr  : — The  introduction  of  the  sitar  in  this 
poem  is  something  of  an  anachronism,  as  the  sit4r  was  invented  by 


NOTES.  a  23 

a  Muhikinedan  over  n  thousand  years  later.  SiUlr  is  derived  from 
till'  Poreian  si.  tliroo,  and  tii.  string.  It  resembles  a  guitar  with 
n  hollow  a;oiird  for  a  liody. 

Hi.  Sfiuiiti. -^An  army  general. 

17.  i>uiiit,i : — Nobly  Ixirn. 

18.  W/ifrffure  irilh  many  prayers  sh«  had  bttmight 
Liikx/imt;  and  many  nights  at  fall- moon  gone 
liiiiinil  th«  great  Lingam,  nine  times  nine,  with  gifts 
Ofriee  and  jasmine  tereaths  and  sandal  oil. 

On  ft  certain  motnliglit  niglit  in  mid  winter,  Shiv.orliis  emblem, 
tho  Lingam  or  King,  is  to  he  wnrship)>il  with  jasmine  Howers,  and 
particular  offerings  are  made  to  his  bride  by  the  women,  of  tlowors. 
Incense,  lights  and  condiments,  in  hope  of  securing  children.  At 
this  season,  also,  "  women  walk  in  the  forests  with  a  fan  in  one 
hami,  and  eat  certain  vegetables  in  hope  of  beautiful  children." 

Mr.  Ward  gives  u  fuller  account  of  these  observances:  "The 
worship  is  performed  by  a  Brahmin,  under  tlia  vatatree — Fiscus 
Indica —  or  under  a  branch  of  this  trte  planted  in  the  house.  At 
tho  time  of  this  worship  every  woman  of  the  village,  dre.ssed  in 
her  best  clothes,  with  her  face  painted,  her  ornaments  on,  and  her 
body  anointed  witli  oil,  goes  to  the  plaoeof  worsliip  under  the  tree, 
tailing  in  her  hand  an  olTering,  over  each  of  whicli  the  officiating 
Brithmin  performs  the  usual  sacrifices.  Tho  offerings  are  sent  to 
the  house  of  tho  Briihmin,  or  distributed  to  the  eager  bystanders. 
Among  others  who  are  eager  to  obtain  some  of  these  offerings  are 
childless  women,  each  of  whom  sits  down  pensively  among  the 
crowd,  and  o|H-ns  the  end  of  her  garment  to  receive  what  the 
miUhers  are  glad  to  bestow,  when  the  giver  says,  'May  the  bless- 
ing of  Sha.sti  be  upon  you,  and  next  year  may  you  bring  offerings 
with  a  chihLin  your  anus.'  " 

19.  lAikiJuni : — Uo<idi'SS  of  fortune  and  prosperity. 

20.  Lingam  .•— Carved  representation  of  the  male  organs. 

21.  X;«M.— Oods. 

23.  Stiri : — Skirt  and  veil  in  one  piece. 

23.  And  lis  the  searUt  threads  around  the  tree  : — "  On  a  day  dur- 
ing a  most  popular  festival  held  in  March,  the  women  worship  the 
Anola  tree — Phyllanthus  Kmblica — a  kind  of  myrobalan.  Un  this 
nrrasion  libations  are  poured  at  the  f(M)t  of  the  tn-e,  a  red  or  yel- 
low thread  is  l><>uni|  round  the  trunk,  prayers  are  offered  up  for 
its  fruitfulness,  and  the  ceremony  is  concluded  by  a  reverential 
inclination  of  the  head  to  the  ancient  tree,  whose  branches  bear 
the  marks  of  villaRe  reverence  and  care."  • 

24.  In,  niter  lotas  .—See  41.  Book  the  Third. 

25.  l\tUi.pUint  .—See  7,  Book  the  Third. 


224  NOTES. 

26.  When  hy  Ms  mde  I  stand  and  serte  the  enhes : — No  wife  eatg 
with  her  husband  among  the  Hindus.  She  sets  the  meal  before 
him,  and  eats  what  he  sees  fit  to  leave  her. 

27.  Swerga  : — The  Swarga  of  the  Hindus,  and  Bihisht  of  the 
Muhamedans,  indicate  Paradise  as  a  place  of  luxury  and  sensual 
enjoyments,  while  Narak  and  Jahannam  are  those  cares  and  pains 
that  make  a  hell  upon  earth. 

28.  Champak  : — See  Note  1,  Book  the  Second. 

29.  1  should  mmint 

The  pile  and  lay  that  dear  head  in  my  lap. 

This  refers  to  Suttee,  or  the  practice  of  burning  the  living  wife 
with  her  dead  husband.  Suttee  was  abolished  in  1829,  by  Lord 
Bentinck,  Governor  General  of  India. 

30.  Cr<rr  .-—Ten  millions. 

31.  B6dhl-tree : — The  peepul  tree,  or  tree  of  wisdom.  A  few 
hundred  yards  west  of  the  Nilajan  river,  in  a  plain  of  great  extent, 
about  five  miles  from  Gaya  Proper,  there  are  remarkable  remains, 
that  now  consist  of  a  confused  heap  of  brick  and  stone,  exhibiting 
traces  of  having  once  been  regularly  arranged.  There  is  a  build- 
ing called  the  temple  of  Buddha,  built  of  brick,  and  lofty,  now  so 
honeycombed  with  age  as  to  excite  surprise  that  it  continues  erect. 
On  the  terrace  behind  the  temple  a  peepul  tree  is  growing,  which 
the  Hindus  suppose  to  have  been  planted  by  Brahmfi.  It  is  sup- 
posed by  the  Buddhists  to  be  exactly  in  the  center  of  the  earth. 
In  1812,  this  tree  was  in  full  vigor,  and  appeared  to  be  about  one 
hundred  years  of  age ;  a  familiar  one  may  have  been  in  the  place  when 
the  temple  was  entire.*  Miss  Brittaiii  gives  an  account  of  an  old 
stone  pillar  which  is  said  to  be  of  Buddhist  origin,  and  to  have 
been  built  by  Asoka,  240  B.C.,  for  the  purpose  of  inscribing  upon 
it  his  edicts  with  regard  to  spreading  the  Buddhist  Teligion.  It 
was  formerly  the  custom  to  place  in  front  of  these  monuments  a 
peepul  tree. 

This  pillar  had  at  one  time  such  a  tree  beside  it,  but  many  years 
ago  the  tree  was  removed,  and  placed  in  an  old  temple  near  by. 
"  You  enter  this  temjile,  which  is  now  only  a  dark  cave,  or  grotto, 
and  are  led  down  a  long,  dark,  narrow  passage  by  a  Brahmin 
priest  carrying  a  torch,  the  smell  and  smoke  of  which,  combined 
with  the  damp  fumes  of  the  place,  render  a  long  visit  impossible. 
At  the  end  of  the  dark  passage  is  a  large  square,  which  must 
formerly  have  been  a  court-yard  ;  further  on  is  the  principal 
chamber  of  the  temple.  Here  is  the  peepul  tree.  It  is  just  the 
trunk  of  a  tree  separated  near  the  ground  into  two  large  limbs  or 
arms.  These  limbs  are  cut  off  short,  so  that  the  whole  length  of 
the  tree  is  probably  only  ten  or  twelve  feet.     From  this  body  and 

*  ^laaual  oS  Buddhism. 


nrrns  tliprp  prorowl  a  great  many  younfr  sprouts  ;  thesp,  howover, 
iiro  prcvi-ntpd  from  evrr  bfcominj;  Inrgcr  by  t!io  numlK>r  of  pil- 
grims visitiiiff  this  holy  spot,  who  earli  carry  away  a  k-af  or  twig. 
The  leaves  are  i>orft>ctly  white.  It  is  n  wonderful  thing,  this  tree, 
thus  living  and  growing  for  hundreds  of  years,  under  ground, 
and  in  utter  darkness. 

39.    The  koU  mint)  hrr  hymn  : — The  cuckoo. 

83.  Voiefn  of  III  i/t  nitd  tiirjiHiuil  t/j  one  »«u^ .'—Oriental  writers 
with  glowing  descriptions  always  roprt'srnt  all  nature,  celestiul 
and  tem-strinl,  as  cognizant  of,  and  acting  in  accord  with,  spiritual 
manifeettations.  When  the  Hiudu  King  Hijiila,  in  a  moment  of 
wickedness,  commanded  the  eyes  of  two  holy  men  to  he  put  out, 
his  fiirtuno  left  him,  and  grievous  signs  followed :  the  crows 
crowed ui  the  night,  jackals  howle<l  by  day,  the  sun  was  ecli|)si'd, 
stonna  of  wind  and  rain  canio  on,  the  earth  ahook,  darkness  over- 
spread the  h-3avens,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  were  filled 
with  terror.  In  Persian  writings  the  idea  that  nature  is  "  'ware  and 
glad  "  though  men,  by  the  hardness  of  their  hearts,  may  not  per- 
ceive it,  is  con.stant'ly  presented.  The  following  is  from  the 
UulLstt'io.  by  Sheikh  Smli  in  the  VMi  century. 

"  Unce  I  traveled  to  Hejaz  aloug  with  some  young  men  of  virtuous 
dispoaitiou,  who  had  been  my  intimate  friends  and  constant  com- 
panions. Krwiucutly.  in  their  mirth,  they  recited  spiritual  verses. 
There  happened  to'lx!  in  the  party  an  Abitl,  who  thought  un- 
favonibly  of  the  morals  of  Durweslies,  being  ignorant  of  their 
Hullerings.  At  length  wo  arrived  at  the  grovo  of  palm  trees  of 
Beui  lIuUiil,  when  a  boy  of  a  dark  complexion  came  out  of  one  of 
tlie  Arab  families,  and  sung  in  such  a  strain  as  arrested  the  birds 
in  their  flight  tlirougli  the  air.  I  beheld  the  Abid's  camel  danc- 
ing, and  after  Dinging  his  rider,  he  took  the  road  of  the  desert.  I 
said  :  '  O  Sheikh,  those  striiius  delighted  the  brutes,  but  ma<le  no 
impression  on  you  :  knowest  thou  what  the  niglitingale  of  the 
morning  said  to  nie?  What  kind  of  a  man  art  thou,  who  art 
ignorant  of  love?  Tin- camel  is  thrown  into  ecsta-sy  by  the  Arabic 
verses,  for  which,  if  thou  hast  no  relish,  thou  art  a  cross-grained 
brute.  When  the  camel  is  captivated  with  ecstr.Iic  frenzy,  that 
man  who  can  be  insensible  is  an  ass.  The  wind  blowing  over  the 
pUuns  causes  the  tender  brandies  of  the  fan-tree  to  bend  before  it, 
but  affect.H  not  the  hard  stone.  Everything  that  you  Ix-hold  is  ex- 
claiming the  prai.ses  of  liod,  as  is  well  known  to  the  understand- 
ing heart  ;  not  only  the  nightingale  and  the  rose  bush  are  chant- 
ing pralavs  to  Hod,  but  every  thorn  is  a  tongue  to  extol  him.' " 

3-J.  But  he  ir/io  ia  the   I'riiice 

Of  D.irkne*,.  Mam. 

The  legend  says  that  Maru  came  to  Siddartha  as  he  was  leaving 
his  home  and  bcuoogbthim  toremaiuaud  enjoy  life  asacliakravar- 
■6 


226  NOTES.' 

tin,  but  tlie  Prince  answered  in  a  miglity  voice  :  "  A  thousand  or 
a  hundred  tlionsand  honors  such  as  these  to  which  you  refer  would 
have  no  power  to  charm  me  to-day.  I  seek  the  Buddhaship.  I  want 
not  the  seven  treasures  of  tlie  chakravartiu ;  therefore,  begone, 
hindermenot."  Mara,  perceiving  that  his  kingdom  would  eventual- 
lybeoome  depopulated  through  Buddha's  merit,  left  him,  angrily  de- 
claring that  he  should  not  cease  to  tempt  him  by  every  device  in 
his  power.  He  kept  his  word,  but  on  the  day  when  the  Prince 
should  become  Buddha,  he  assembled  his  hosts  for  the  final  battle. 
This  is  described  in  the  curious,  but  tedious,  extravagance  of 
Buddliist  writers  in  the  legends,  of  which  but  a  hint  can  be  given. 
It  is  said  that  Mara  mounted  on  an  elephant  one  thousand  miles 
high,  and  marched  to  the  assault  with  an  attendant  army  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-four  miles  long,  each  warrior  in  the  shape  of  some 
horrid  monstrosity.  He  sent  a  mighty  wind  against  Buddha,  which 
hurled  rocks  thirty  miles  high,  but  it  could  not  lift  a  hair  of  his 
head.  He  poured  a  rain  whose  drops  were  as  big  as  palm  trees, 
but  their  scattering  spray  could  not  touch  Buddha.  One  hundred 
thousand  burning  mountains  were  transformed  by  the  gentleness 
of  the  Buddhist  spirit  into  flowers  that  fell  at  his  feet.  The 
result  of  the  temptation  was  that  one  hundred  and  thirty-six 
burning  hells  opened,  scattering  the  hosts  of  evil,  when  the  ele- 
phant, with  his  trunk  in  his  mouth  and  his  tail  between  his  legs, 
ran  away.  All  this  extravagant  story  was  probably  first  given  as 
an  allegorical  description  of  an  erdightened  mind  struggling  with 
the  power  of  evil. 

35.  Arati  : — Pain. 

36.  Ttishnd  : — Avarice,  desire,  or  thirst. 

37.  Raga  .-—Passion. 

38.  Kdma : — The  Indian  Cupid,  whose  history  bears  much  re- 
semblance to  the  Cupid  of  Grecian  mythology.  In  Shakespeare's 
"Hindustani  Dictionary"  the  story  is  given  as  follows :  Kama 
was  consumed  by  the  fiery  ra^e  of  Mahadeva  for  interrupting  him 
in  his  devotions,  and  Rati,  Kama's  wife  and  Venus  of  the  Hindus, 
being  disconsolate  for  the  loss  of  her  husband,  was  informed  by 
Parvati,  the  wife  of  the  enraged  Mahadeva,  that  he  would  be 
born  in  the  house  of  Krishna,  and  would  have  the  name  of  Prady- 
umna  ;  but  that  Raja  Sambara  would  steal  him  away  and  cast  him 
into  the  sea  ;  that  thence  he  would  be  taken  in  the  beUy  of  a  fish 
to  the  kitchen  of  Sambara,  and  she  must  go  and  wait  for  him 
there.  Following  this  advice,  she  remained  in  the  kitchen  of  the 
Raja  till  it  happened  that  a  large  fish,  on  being  opened  by  the 
cook,  was  found  to  contain  another  fish,  and  when  this  was  opened 
a  child  issued  from  its  belly.  Rati,  by  command  of  the  Raja, 
reared  this  child.  When  Kama  was  grown  she  made  him  ac- 
quainted with  what  Parvati  had  told  her,  and  advised  him  to  kill 


237 

8Arn1)ani  and  retnm  with  her  to  tho  hnnse  of  Krishna  whcro  lio 
wiLs  lH>rQ.  ThiH  was  accomplishiHl,  oiid  Rati  was  married  to  liiiii 
on  Ills  rt'tiirn  to  his  i>an'Dts.  llenci'  Itatf  is  cousiJurcd  as  Ifotli 
wife  aiid  mother  of  Kama. 

:K).  i\imma  t'^tiinbudilh : — To  perceive  thoroaghljr,  with  calm 
ix-aco  of  mind. 

40.  Ten  gn-ut  Virtnt-M  .-—or  Dasa  sil,  are  ten  obligations  bind- 
ing upon  a  priest.  They  forbid  :  1.  Tlio  taking  of  life.  2.  Tim 
taking  of  that  which  is  not  given,  y.  Sexual  intercourse.  4.  Tlie 
raying  of  that  which  is  not  true.  5.  The  use  of  intoxicating 
drinks.  6.  Tho  eating  of  solid  f'xxl  after  midday.  7.  Attcndnnre 
upon  dancing,  singing,  music  and  ma-sks.  8.  The  adorning  of  the 
body  with  flowers  and  the  u.seof  perfumes  and  unguent.s.  9.  The 
use  of  scats  or  couches  above  the  prescribed  height.  10.  Tho  re- 
ceiving of  gold  and  silver. 

41.  AbMtlJiKt  .—Tho  lino  of  all  his  lives  in  all  the  worlds. 
Many  volumes  of  fiuddhi.ft  literature  are  given  to  the  ante-natal 
life  of  Duddha.  According  to  one  author  his  retrospect  of  past 
lives  extended  through  ten  millions  of  millions  and  one  thousand 
kaliuis,  the  shortest  of  which  was  sixteen  millions  of  years,  tho 
longest  thirty-two  millions. 

4i.  A'.i//xM— JA'/»/)t<i//VM.-— See  Note  M,  Book  tho  First. 

43.  Sikir.il : — "  There  are  innumerable  systems  of  worlds,  each 
eystem  having  it.sown  earth,  sun,  moon,  etc.  The  space  to  which 
tiie  light  of  tho  sun  or  moon  extends  is  called  a  sakwalo.  Each 
sakwala  includes  an  earth,  with  its  continents,  islands  and  oceans, 
and  a  mountain  in  the  center  called  Maln'i  Meru.  as  well  as  a  series 
of  hells  and  h'-avens.  The  sakwalas  are  scattere<i  throughout 
space,  in  sections  of  three  and  three.  All  the  sakwalas  in  one 
S>^-tion  touch  each  other,  and  in  the  space  between  is  the  Lokanta- 
rika  hell.  Each  sakwala  is  surrounded  by  a  wall  of  rock  cjilled  a 
■akwalagala."  •  These  sakwalas  are  innumerable,  but  were  all 
visible  to  Buddha  and  under  the  (lOWer  of  his  teaching. 

44.  Dukhya-»U !/ii : — Tho  power  of  sorrow. 

4.'5.  Noblf  TriUhA  .—Mr.  Oogerly  gives  one  of  the  most  intelli- 
gible translations  of  thes.^  trutlis.  They  are  :  "  1.  That  every  ex- 
istent thing  is  a  source  of  sorrow.  3.  That  continued  sorrow  re- 
sults from  a  continued  attachment  to  cxi.sting  objects.  8.  That  a 
freedom  from  this  altaclinient  liljeral'-s  from  existence  4.  The 
path  leading  to  this  slate  containing  eight  sections." 

46.  Karmd  .—is  that  which  controls  the  dt-stiny  of  all  things, 
and  includes  both  merit  and  demerit.  This  dixUrine  of  Kariu& 
constantly  appears  in  IkuIi  Buddhist  and  Briihminlcal  writings, 
with  many  suades  of  meaning  and  emllrss  explanation.     Buddha's 


228  NOTES. 

own  definition  is  :  "  All  sentient  beings  have  tbeir  own  individual 
Karm&,  or  tlie  most  essential  property  of  all  beings  is  karmii  : 
karmS.  comes  by  inheritance,  or  that  which  is  inherited — not  from 
parentage,  but  from  previous  births,  is  karmii  ;  karmii  is  the 
cause  of  all  good  and  evil,  or  they  come  by  means  of  karma,  or  on 
account  of  karmii ;  karmii  is  a  kinsman  ;  karmii  is  an  assistant,  or 
that  which  promotes  the  prosperity  of  any  one  is  his  good  karmii  ; 
it  is  the  difference  in  the  karma,  as  to  whether  it  be  good  or  evil, 
that  causes  the  difEerence  in  the  lot  of  men,  so  that  some  are  mean, 
and  others  are  exalted,  some  are  miserable  and  others  happy." 
The  listening  disciple  still  found  himself  like  a  man  with  a  ban- 
dage over  his  eyes,  and  unable  to  see  the  point,  so  he  asked  expla- 
nation at  length  ;  after  which  he  perceived  that  the  differences  in 
the  lot  of  men,  as  at  present  seen,  are  produced  by  the  karma  of 
different  births. 

47.  Skandltas : — Elements  of  sentient  existence. 

48.  Upadanas : — Subordinate  duties,  or  the  cleaving  to  existing 
objects. 

49.  Nirvana  : — Buddhism,  in  common  with  all  other  religions,  is 
divided  into  many  sects,  each  holding  their  peculiar  shades  of  doc- 
trine and  belief.  The  great  subject  with  them  for  debate  and 
specul.ation  is  Nirvilna.  Not  more  continuous  or  prolix  are  our 
disquisitions,  or  wordy  and  heated  are  our  debates  on  the  subject 
of  future  punishment,  than  are  the  treatises  and  discussions  in 
bazar  and  temple,  by  Brahmins  as  well  as  Buddhists,  on  Nirvilna. 
TliB  mn.st  gener.ally  accepted  ifiea.  among  BnHnnins  ^tjh2l,"^  re- 

"The  soul  is  a  portion  of  the  Supreme  Ruler,  as  a  spark  is  of  fire. 
The  relation  between  them  is  not  that  of  master  and  servant,  niler 
and  subject,  b<it  both  that  of  whole  and  part."  Among  some  tliis 
idea  prevails  :  "  The  living  soul,  at  the  death  of  the  body,  attended 
with  all  its  faculties,  retires  within  a  rudiment  body  composed  of 
light,  with  the  rest  of  the  five  elements  in  a  subtile  state.  In  that 
condition  the  soul,  united  to  a  subtile  elementary  frame,  conjoined 
with  the  vital  faculties,  remains  till  the  dissolution  of  the  world, 
when  it  merges  in  the  Supreme  Deity.  That  frame  is  impercep- 
tible to  those  who  see  the  death  of  the  body.  It  is  not  injured  by 
the  burning  of  the  body  or  anything  else.  It  can  be  known  by  its 
heat  as  long  as  it  remains  in  tlie  gross  body."  The  following  ex- 
tracts represent  a  few  shades  of  opinion  respecting  Nirvana  among 
Buddhists. 

"  Spence  Hardy  and  Bigandet  find  in  the  modern  Singhalese 
and  Burmese  books  the  same  opinion  concerning  Nirvilna  as  Alvis 
Gogerly,  and  especially  Childers,  have  found  iu  the  more  ancient 
authorities  ;  and  though  the  modern  books  of  the  Northern  Bud- 
dhists are  doubtful,  Eugene  Burnouf  has  clearly  proved  that  their 


NOTES.  229 

older  texts  contain  only  the  Sfimo  dortrines  as  that  held  In  tlio 
Boiitli.  Buddhism  Hoea  nnt.  m-kmiwli-diri'  the  fxislcnce  of  a  so  ill  ajj 
distinct  from  the  parts  and  powrs  of  imm  whii-h  nre  dissoTvi'd  at 
dRatli~irii.i  iii»  .>firYinaof  Buddliism  is  simply  i-xiinctioa."  * 

"  Nirvana  is  pot  exiincHon  or  golnj;  out  of  the  soul,  but  it  is 
the  K"'"*?  out  in  the  heart  of  tho  throw  firi-s  of  lust,  anger  and  dfj- 
lusion,  and  the  craving  from  which  they  come."  } 

Tho  Huddhisis  of  Burmah  define  Kirvuun  or  NIgban  8S  freedom 
from  old  age.  disease  and  death. 

Profi'ssor  Max  MUller  says:  "According  to  the  metaphysicjil 
tenets,  if  not  of  Buddha  hiniself,  at  least  of  his  sect,  there  is  no 
n-aliiy  anywhere,  neither  in  the  jiust  nor  in  the  future.  True  wis- 
dom  consists  in  perceiving  the  nolhinijniss  of  all  things,  and  in  a 
desire  to  become  nothing,  to  be  blown  out,  to  enter  into  Kirvaiin. 
Emancipation  is  obtained  by  total  extinction,  not  by  ftl>sorption 
into  Brahm,  or  by  a  recovery  of  the  soul's  true  state.  If  to /)»•  is 
misery,  not  to  Iw  must  be  felicity  ;  and  this  felicity  is  the  highest 
rewarj  which  Buddha  promise<l  Lis  disciples. 

"One  school  believes  that  Nirvritti  or  Nirvana  is  nature  or  sub. 
stance  in  repose,  another  claims  that  it  is  annihilation.  Tho  earli- 
est written  works  which  wo  possess  on  Buddhism  were  conipostHi 
by  Buddha's  pupils  and  friends;  these  teach  that  Nirvana  is  anni- 
hilation, not  absorption."  ^ 

Profes.sor  Wilson  says  that  in  tho  Saddhanna  Ijinkfivatarva, 
Sakya  is  represente<l  as  confuting  all  the  Brahminical  notions  of 
Nirvana,  and  concludes  by  ex|)Ounding  it  to  bo  the  complete  anni- 
hilation of  tho  thinking  principle,  illustrating  his  dootrino  by  the 
comparison  generally  employed,  of  the  exhaustion  of  the  light  of 
a  lamp  which  goes  out  of  itself.  In  the  Brahmajiila,  or  Piili  Sutra, 
where  again  Sakya  is  made  to  confute  sixty-two  Brahminical  here- 
iiii-s,  he  winds  up  by  saying:  "  Existcnce'is  a  tree;  tho  merit  or 
demerit  of  the  acticms  of  men  is  tho  fruit  of  that  tree,  and  the  seed 
of  future  trees  ;  death  is  tho  withering  away  of  tho  old  tree  from 
which  others  have  sprung  ;  wisdom  and  virtue  take  away  the  ger- 
minating principle,  .so  that  when  tho  tree  dies  there  is  no  repro- 
duction.   This  is  Nirvana." 

.50.   A'oiV .— Cuckoo. 

.51.  i?HftHr— NightingaJe. 

62.  Mjfna: — Indian  robin.  . 

58.  PreU:—Evi\  spirits. 

54.  mr,U :— Ghosts. 

65.  y^'in  .—Wilderness. 

.56.  Jiinijlf : — Wild  country. 

•  ryclopcdia  Brittanlca. 

♦  T.  W.  Kliyi  IJ«vid«.  In  FortnlRhUy  Barisw. 
}  ChliM  trom  a  CIcrman  Wurluhup. 


230  NOTES. 

57.  Cheetahs  .•—Small  hunting  leopards. 

58.  BMhttree  .-—See  Note  31,  Book  the  Sixth. 

59.  Many  a  House  of  Life,  etc. : — These  stanzas  are  thus  trans- 
lated by  Turnour  :  "  Performing  my  pilgrimage  through  the 
eternity  of  countless  existence,  ia  sorrow  have  I  unremittingly 
sought  in  vain  the  abode  of  the  passions  (i.  e. ,  the  human  frame). 
Now,  0,  artificer  !  art  thou  found.  Henceforth  no  receptacle  of 
sin  Shalt  thou  form,  thy  frames  broken:  thy  ridge-pole  shattered; 
thy  soul — or  mind — emancipated  from  liability  to  regeneration — by 
transmigration — has  annihilated  the  dominion  of  the  passions." 

Mr.  Gogerly  translate.s  thus: 

**  Throagh  various  transmigrations 
I  must  travel  if  I  do  not  discover 
The  builder  whom  I  seek; — 
Painful  are  repeated  transmigrations, 
I  have  seen  the  architect — and  said — 
'  Thou  Shalt  not  build  me  another  house ; 
Thy  rart^ra  are  broken, 
Thy  roof  timbers  scattered. 
My  mind  is  detached  from  all  existing  objects; 
I  nave  attained  to  the  extinction  of  desire.'  " 

Mr.  Hardy  gives  still  another  translation  : 
'*  Through  many  different  births 
1  have  ran  (to  me  not  having  found) 
Seeking  the  architect  of  the  desire  resembling  house. 
Painful  are  repeated  births  I 

0  house-builder  I     I  have  seen  thee — 
Again  a  house  thou  canst  not  build  for  me. 

1  have  broken  thy  rafters. 

Thy  central  support  is  destroyed  ; 

To  Nirvana  my  mind  is  gone. 

1  have  arrive  I  at  the  extinction  of  evil-desire." 

Our  minds,  trained  to  the  idea  of  a  creating  Deity,  and  the  need 
of  a  knowledge  of  Him,  naturally  suppose  that  this  architect,  this 
"  Builder  of  this  Tabernacle,"  must  refer  to  some  divine  person  ; 
but  in  so  doing  we  make  the  mistake  of  putting  "  Christian  ideas 
into  Buddhist  expressions."  Mr.  Gogerly's  and  Mr.  Hardy's 
translations  indicate  that  desire  is  the  occasion  of  recreation,  and 
in  overcoming  this,  in  blotting  out  desires,  good  or  evil,  the  end 
is  attained.  Mr.  Arnold  in  his  translation  says:  "Delusion 
fashioned  it."  This  interpretation  would  bring  Buddha's  mean- 
ing of  architect  in  accord  with  the  doctrine  of  Mayil,  Hlusion,  or 
Delusion,  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  popular  doctrines  of  India. 
Maya  is  personified  in  Hindu  scriptures  as  the  wife  of  Brahm. 
Brahm,  after  seventy-two  ages  of  silence,  desired  to  renew  the 
world  ;  his  desire  became  manifest  in  a  female  form — Maya, 
from  whom  all  the  mistaken  notions  current  among  mankind 
originate.  The  Hindu  triad— Brahma,  Vishnu  and  Shiv— were  the 
offspring  of  Brahm  and  May&  ;  Brahm  disappears,  and  Maya,  de- 


NOTES.  231 

c^lrinff  her  own  sons,  becomes  by  tlipm  the  mother  of  Sarnswati, 
Lnkiiliml  and  l'm»,  whom  slip  weils  to  her  sons,  and,  establishing 
herself  at  Jwala  mukhi,  leaves  the  three  weildeii  pairs  to  frame 
the  nniverse  and  give  currency  to  (ho  errors  of  practice  and  belief 
she  ha-s  taught  them.  In  the  schools  of  philosophy  it  is  asserted 
that  ••  the  illusive  power  of  ignorance  produces  the  universe 
from  the  eggs  of  Brahm."  It  is  also  atUnued  that  matter  exists 
not  indepi-ndent  of  perception,  and  that  substances  are  indebted 
for  their  seeming  reality  to  the  ideas  of  the  mind.  Our  intellects 
are  purified  by  abstraciion,  and  until  we  liavo  attained  a  just  ap- 
preciation of  our  own  nature,  and  of  that  of  universal  spirit,  our 
ideas  are  all  wrong.  Until  the  day  of  true  knowledge  dawns 
upon  us  wo  are  asleep — in  a  dream  ;  we  misconceive  of  all  we 
perceive,  we  take  a  rope  for  a  snake  :  an  oyster-shell  for  mother- 
of-pearl,  mirage  for  real  water.  All  that  we  see  in  our  unillumi- 
nated  condition  is  Mava,  deception,  illusion.  There  are  no  two 
things  in  existence  :  tltere  is  but  one  in  all.  There  is  no  second, 
no  matter  ;  there  is  spirit  alone.  The  world  is  not  God  ;  there  is 
nothing  but  God  in  the  world.  Nature  is  compelled  to  assume 
the  corporeal  fornj  that  the  ends  of  Spirit  may  be  fulfilled,  namely, 
that  it  may  be  i-iulvHlied,  until  by  a  series  of  transmigrations  it 
has  no  longer  neol  of  .such  a  state  ;  it  has  attained  knowledge, 
which  is  the  cau.se  of  its  liberation,  and  its  connection  with  matter 
ceases."* 

"Soul  desist.s,"  says  the  Sankhya  Ilnrika,  "  beoau.se  he  has 
seen — or  fully  understood — nature.  Nature  ceases,  or  withdraws, 
because  she  has  Ix-en  si-en." 

"The  union  of  spirit  and  matter,  as  the  receiver  and  received, 
is  without  beginning.  The  origin  of  this  union  is  Mayfi.  The 
perfection  of  spirit  is  to  be  attributed  to  liberation  from  this 
union,  and  this  is  sought  in  the  acquisition  of  discriminating  wis- 
dom. Actions  performed  under  the  influence  of  Maya  are  fol- 
lowed by  eight  millions  of  births   in  connection  with  some  caste, 


is  to  be  destroyed  by  discriminating  wisdom  in  reference  to  the 
Divine  nature,  leading  to  the  reception  of  truth — Orjil — and  de- 
liverance from  the  sorrows  of  transmigration."  Another  class  of 
Hindu  philosophers,  in  their  subdivision  of  Sakti,  or  Mnyii,  into 
four  qualities — knowhtlgi',  desire,  energy  and  deception— show 
even  more  plainly  what  we  are  to  understand  by  "  the  architect 
of  the  desire  resembling  house."  They  claim  that  the  first  Sakti, 
or  knowledge,  bv  its  (lartial  exten.>(ion.  produces  pain  and  sleep  ; 
but  the  S^ttkti  of  l)e»ire  unfortunately  olwcurt^  that  of  knowledge. 


.  wiUou'e  Kill<»»i« of  I 


232  NOTES. 

and  hinders  it  from  perceiving  that  there  is  no  other  deity  but  the 
material  body,  propagation,  life  and  death.  From  this  ignorant 
deviation,  occasioned  by  Desire,  the  inclinations  of  men  are  de- 
rived. The  truly  wise  man,  who  would  acquire  knowledge  of 
truth  and  nature,  must  therefore  renounce  desire. 

"But,"  asks  a  new  proselyte  of  a  sage,  "  as  all  individuals  are  so 
many  deities,  or  rather  modifications  of  the  same  god,  why  are 
they  not  all  endowed  with  the  same  talents  and  equal  penetration; 
why  are  the  greater  part  devoid  of  sublime  intelligence?"  The 
sage^answered,  "The  evil  proceeds  entirely  from  the  fourth  Sakti 
Maya,  or  Illusion.  It  is  the  cause  of  all  deception,  and  makes  men 
take  what  is  false  for  what  is  true.  It  has  misled  men  into  the 
belief  that  there  are  gods;  that  there  are  such  vicissitudes  as  living 
and  dying  pollution  and  purification.  The  only  means  of  shunning 
the  errors  of  Maya  is  to  cling  to  the  doctrine  of  Buddhism. " 

BOOK  THE  SEVENTH. 

1.  Woianta-time  : — A  festival  held  in  the  spring  in  honor  of 
Kamadeva,  the  god  of  love. 

2.  Eastinpur:— Ancient  Delhi,  the  remains  of  which  still  esist 
about  fifty-seven  miles  north-east  of  the  modern  citv,  on  the  banks 
of  the  old  channel  of  the  Ganges. 

3.  Purd/ih; — Curtain. 

4.  With  naked  f,'(t:— The  people  of  India  never  wear  shoes  in 
the  house.     They  always  slip  them  off  on  the  verandah. 

5.  W?te?i  they  came  mthout  the  purduh'g  folds:— The  women  of 
India  who  are  of  high  rank  and  caste  are  not  allowed  to  go  outside 
of  their  own  apartments  except  they  are  closely  veiled  and  attended 
neither  may  any  man  save  husband,  father  or  brothers,  go  behind 
the  curtains  separating  the  women's  rooms  from  the  rest  of  the 
house.  _  The  curtains  are  made  of  long,  fine  splints  of  bamboo,  and 
lined  with  gauze.  The  women  can  look  through  these  into  the 
lighter  outer  apartments,  but  those  outside  cannot  look  within. 
Tliese  merchants  standing  outside  the  curtain  displayed  their  goods 
and  told  their  news,  but  saw  not  Yasodhara. 

6.  J^vdM-trce:~See  Note  31,  Book  the  Sixth. 

7.  TcMHka;—A  tree,  Pinus  Longifolia. 

8.  Mara's  wrtit7i:—See  Note  34,  Book  the  Sixth. 

9.  Twelve  i\7'irf<tH««;— Twelve  treasures,  or  the  eleven  degrees  of 
contemplation  that  lead  to  Nirvana  the  last  and  twelfth  degree. 

10.  ffe  taught  the  Five:— The  five  ascetics  wlio  were  Buddha's 
companions  during  the  six  years  he  sought  the  truth. 

11.  Vaish7/a:—This  month  corresponds  to  half  of  April  and  May 

12.  l?ie  AWifo;— refers  to  the  five  ascetics,  Buddha's  former 
companions. 


*33 

18.  Fbur  Truth* ;— Spp  Note  4.",,  Book  the  Sixth. 

14.  Y(i»id  thf  Prinee: — was  the  son  of  Sujiita,  who  pnvp  to  Bud- 
ilha  thi>  food  that  refreshed  liim  for  liis  mighty  coiiHiol  with  Mara. 
Yasad  went  to  Buddha  by  nipht  to  inquire  the  way  ;  he  became  a 
priest  and  entered  the  first  path.  His  tifty-frur  companions  went  to 
the  mona.stery  to  induce  him  to  return  amlplay  with  thema.s  usual, 
but  when  they  saw  his  changed  appearimre  they  resolved  to  be- 
come priests  also,  and  shortly  entere<l  the  paths. 

15.  Oiith<i : — A  hymn  not  from  the  Vedas. 

16.  YojdM  : — .Mmut  ten  miles. 

17.  .S>;i.:.  — Kiver  Oolden. 

18.  JCoi : — \  kos  is  two  miles. 

19.  RaJitUa'f  motlur  : — \  Hindu  never  calls  his  wife  by  name  : 
before  she  becomes  a  mother  she  is  known  as  "that  one."  or 
"  &dmi,"  a  person  ;  afterward  the  huslnnd  always  speaks  of  his 
wife  as  such  a  boy's  mother.  The  woman  also  speaks  of  her  hus- 
band as  the  son's  father. 

20.  At  the  night-bUnring  mnonflotrtr's  nreUing  htart  ,•— The 
moon-plant  Is  a  climber.  The  leaves,  in  shape,  are  like 
those  of  the  convolvulus  major,  but  much  larger,  and  on  the 
under  side  are  covered  with  a  silvery  down.  The  flowers  are 
white  and  like  huge  morning-glories,  each  one  measuring  from 
four  to  five  inches  across.     They  open  only  by  moonlight. 

21.  n.»  pnU  atiika  buda 

Wait  for  a  uonian'iifixtt. 

The  blos.soms  of  the  a-s/lka  treti  (see  Note  2,  Book  the  Fourthj 
emit  a  delightful  fragrance  when  wet  with  the  dew  jnst  after  sun- 
set and  before  sunrise,  or  at  the  time  when  women  step  forth  for 
air  and  exercise. 

23.  Moijrii*: — Doable  Arabian  jasmine. 

23.  L'liayi : — Named  for  the  great  Eastern  moantain  behind 
which  the  sun  is  supposed  first  to  rise.  Tdayi  was  l)orn  at  tho 
same  time  as  Buddha,  and  his  part  in  the  renunciation  was  fore- 
ordained. 

24.  TVee-trool : — The  cotton  from  the  sembhal,  or  cotton  tree. 
Not  all  men  were  so  profoundly  inipres.spd  with  Buddha's  teach- 
ing. An  old  hymn  of  the  Northern  Buddhi.sts  tells  how  Buddha 
met,  full  of  his  newly-discovered  mission,  an  acquaintance  on  the 
way  as  he  was  goini;  to  the  Peer  Poorest  the  day  after  his  attain- 
ment of  Buddhahood  to  preach  his  doctrine  to  his  old  friends. 
He  wofl  struck  with  Buddha's  appearance,  anrl  a>ke<l  him  what 
r»>ligion  made  him  so  glad  and  yet  so  caljn.  Buddha  told  him  that 
he  had  now  liecome  frfft  from  all  desires.  His  ari|uaintanro  appar- 
ently cared  litllt-  for  this,  ami  a.ske<l  him  where  he  was  going. 
Tlie  reply  is  striking.  Buddha  said  :  •'  I  am  now  poing  to  the 
city  of  Bvmirta),  to  establish  there  a  kingdom  of  righteousness,  to 


234  NOTES. 

give  light  to  those  enshrouded  in  darkness,  to  open  the  gate  of 
immortality  to  men."  His  acquaintance  sneered  at  his  high-flown 
pretensions,  and  aslced  what  he  meant.  Buddha  replied  :  "  I  have 
completely  conquered  all  evil  passions,  and  am  not  tied  down  to 
material  existence.  I  only  live  to  be  the  prophet  of  perfect  truth. " 
"In  that  case,"  answered  the  man,  "venerable  Gotama,  your 
way  lies  yonder,  mine  opposite,"  and  left  him.  Probably  most  of 
us  would  have  had  the  same  feeling,  if  not  the  same  words. 

25.  NiroAna  : — See  Note  49,  Book  the  Sixth. 

26.  Jfeem  .-—See  Note  33,  Book  the  Second. 
37.  Mango  .-—See  Note  80,  Book  the  First. 

28.  Mamkhs  : — Goat-skins  in  which  Muhamedan  water-carriers 
bear  water. 

29.  WitJi  silver  Ttowdafts  : — Chairs  of  state,  made  purposely  to 
strap  on  the  elephant's  back. 

30.  NigrodJM  : — Landscape  garden. 

31.  Bel-trees  : — Thorny  Bengal  quince. 

32.  KsJiatriya  : — Soldier  caste. 

33.  Cluires : — A  nearly  obsolete  English  word,  signifying 
labors.  The  same  word  in  India,  used  adjectively,  has  nearly  the 
same  meaning. 

34.  Lingam  .-—See  Note  20,  Book  the  Sixth. 

35.  Rishl : — Saint. 

36.  Noble  Patlis  .-—See  page  227  of  the  poem. 

37.  Bodhisats  : — Candidates  for  the  Buddahood. 

38.  Lanka  : — Ceylon. 

39.  Three  seers  : — Six  pounds. 

40.  Twelve  Niddnas  .-—See  Note  9,  Book  the  Seventh. 

41.  Meru : — Same  as  Mount  Sumeru.  See  Note  17,  Book  the 
First. 

42.  And  so  tJie  feet  of  siceet  Tasodhara 
Passed  into  peace  arid  bliss,  being  softly  led. 

The  story  of  Yasodhara's  attainment  of  Nirvana  is  very  beauti- 
ful, as  a  few  outlines  will  indicate.  "  When  Siddartha  became  an 
ascetic  the  Princess  resolved  upon  following  his  example,  but 
Suddhodaua,  in  order  to  prevent  it,  placed  guards  around  the  city, 
declaring  to  her  that  the  Prince  would  return  ;  he  was  also  fearful 
that,  as  she  was  so  extremely  beautiful,  unless  she  was  well  pro- 
tected the  Princes  of  other  countries  might. hear  of  her  situation 
and  come  and  take  her  away  by  force.  But  although  she  was 
thus  prevented  from  going  to  the  forest,  she  resolved  to  keep  the 
ordinances  of  the  recluse  jn  the  palace  ;  and  for  this  purpose  she 
had  her  head  shaved,  put  on  a  yellow  robe,  and  ate  her  food  out 
of  an  earthen  bowl.  When  Buddha  visited  Kapilavastu,  after  the 
attainment  of  his  office,  and  on  the  second  day  after  his  ar- 
rival,  she  requested   permission   to  become    a  priestess,  but  it 


NOTES.  23s 

was  not  frranted,  «s  Buddha  saw  that  the  ripht  of  entraiuo 
Into  tli.<  order  of  thi>  fcinalo  priesthood  belon(,'ed  to  tho  qiicfii- 
mothi-r  Mrthnpmjiipttti.  ...  In  due  time  Yasodhara  U-- 
came  the  rijihtful  inheritor  of  all  that  had  belonged  to  Siuldh.V 
dana,  MahAmaya,  Mahtii>rajiipati,  Siddartha.  Nanda,  llahula, 
Devadatta,  and'  Suprabmiha,  but  she  regarded  the  whole  with 
mversion,  even  as  if  it  had  boon  a  dead  snnke  tied  round  her  neok. 
She  walked  with  her  attendant  princesses  nearly  five  hundred 
miles  to  reside  near  Buddha,  retusiug  all  offers  of  assistance  on  the 
iourney,  as  all  the  luxuries  of  the  world  had  been  renounced. 
While  at  Sewet,  she  sometimes  went  to  hear  Buddha  preach,  and 
sometimes  to  imjuire  after  the  health  of  liahula.  On  the  eveninp 
of  a  certain  dav,  as  Va.si")dhara  was  sittin;^  alone,  she  thought  of  all 
her  friends  who  had  already  entered  Nirviiua.  '  I  was  born  on  the 
same  day  as  Buddha,  iiud  in  regular  order  ought  to  enter  the  city 
of  peace  upon  the  same  day  ;  but  this  would  not  be  decorous  to  the 
great  teacher.  I  am  now  seventy-riglit  years  of  age.  In  two 
years  from  this  time  Buddha  will  attain  Nirvana.  1  will  there- 
fore request  permis.sion  to  obtain  this  privilege  from  Buddha.' 
'Accompanied  by  her  attendants,  she  went  to  the  monastery  of 
Buddha,  and  asked  forgiveness  for  the  faults  she  might  at  any 
time  have  committed,  and  then  presented  her  n-queat.  Buddha 
said,  "You  are  the  nio.st  virtuous  of  women;  but  from  the  time 
you  became  an  ascetic  you  have  not  performed  any  miracle,  so  that 
some  persons  have  doubted  whether  you  are  a  rahat  or  not.'  A 
great  company  a-ssembled,  hut  the  Princi-ss  thought  that  on  account 
of  the  extreme  beauty  of  her  jn-rson  it  would  not  be  proper  to  per- 
form a  miracle  in  the  same  way  as  others,  lest  evil  should  arise  in 
the  minds  of  such  of  the  faithful  as  were  not  yet  free  from  evil  desire. 
She  therefore  related  the  history  of  her  former  births,  then  rose  in 
the  air  and  worship«'d  Buddha.  The  discourse  that  she  delivered 
was  uiH>n  the  seven  kinds  of  wives  there  are  in  the  world  of  men. 
When  all  this  w^as  concluded,  she  retired  to  her  own  residence, 
and  in  the  same  night,  while  {Missing  from  coulemplation  to  con- 
templation, saw  the  city  of  p«!ac»\" 

43.  ilohumimmat  .-—the  first  monarch  of  the  world,  of  the  race 
of  the  sun.  received  existence  by  theapparitional  birth.  The  ances- 
try of  Buddha  is  lrac«"d  through  individuals  all  of  royal  dignity, 
by  Buddhist  hi.storians  back  to  this  monarch  ;  theso  have  evident- 
ly Ujrrowed  names  or  Invented  them,  determined  to  shed  all  honor 
poasible  upon  bis  name. 

44.  Four  nuUe  Truth*  .— S«-e  Note  4'),  Book  the  Sixth. 

45.  Thot  right  right  /fi//.j< .— Uighl  views,  high  aims,  kindly 
speech,  upright  conduct,  harmle.is  livelihood,  jKirsevurance  in 
welldoing,  intellectual  activity,  earnest  thought. 

40l  attiyci  I'uur: — Professor  Wax  MuUer  thus  describes  the 


236  NOTES. 

effects  of  each  stage  :  "  Entering  the  first  ensures  freedom  from 
sin,  a  knowledge  of  tlie  nature  of  things,  and  leaves  no  desire  ex- 
cept for  Nirvana.  Pleasurable  feelings  and  reasoning  and  dis- 
criminating powers  remain.  In  the  second  stage  these  cease,  leav- 
ing satisfaction  arising  from  intellectual  perfection,  which  is  lost 
in  the  third  stage  ;  but  self-consciousness  remains.  In  the  fourth 
stage  this  also  vanishes,  and  Nirvana  is  open.  The  Buddha  now 
enters  the  infinity  of  space,  then  into  the  infinity  of  intelligence, 
and  thence  into  the  region  of  nothing.  But  even  here  there  is  no 
rest.  There  is  still  something  left,  the  idea  of  nothing  in  which 
he  rejoices.  That  also  must  be  destroyed,  and  it  is  destroyed  in 
the  fourth  and  last  region,  where  there  is  complete  rest  undis- 
turbed by  nothing,  or  what  is  not  nothing." 

47.  Precepts  Eight : — These  precepts  are  most  clearly  expressed 
in  the  Buddhist  Beatitudes.  "Not  to  serve  the  foolish,  but  to 
serve  the  wise,  to  honor  those  worthy  of  love,  this  is  the  greatest 
blessing.  To  dwell  in  a  pleasant  land,  good  works  done  in  a  for- 
mer birth,  right  desires  in  the  heart,  this  is  the  greatest  blessing. 
Much  insight  and  education,  self-control  and  pleasant  speech, 
and  whatever  word  be  well-spoken,  this  is  the  greatest  blessing; 
To  bestow  alms  and  live  righteously,  to  give  help  to  kindred, 
deeds  which  cannot  be  blamed,  this  is  the  greatest  blessing.  To 
support  father  and  mother,  and  to  cherish  wife  and  child  ;  to  fol- 
low a  peaceful  calling,  this  is  the  greatest  blessing.  To  abhor  and 
cease  from  sin,  abstinence  from  strong  drink,  not  to  be  weary  in 
well-doing,  this  is  the  greatest  blessing.  Reverence,  lowliness, 
contentment  and  gratitude,  the  hearing  of  the  Law  at  due  seasons, 
this  is  the  greatest  blessing.  Beneath  the  stroke  of  life's  changes, 
the  mind  that  shaketh  not,  without  grief  and  passion.  On  every 
side  are  invincible  those  wbo  do  acts  like  these,  on  every  side  they 
walk  in  safety,  and  this  is  the  greatest  blessing." 

BOOK  THE  EIGHTH. 

1 .  At  Nagara  ; — A  town  lying  about  eighty  miles  almost  direct- 
ly north  of  Benares. 

2.  In  ox-wain  : — Sixteen  miles  is  an  average  day's  journey  for  an 
ox-cart. 

3.  Jihur  hundred  c  rors  : — According  to  all  authorities  a  cror  is 
ten  millions  ;  this  would  bring  the  number  of  living  Buddhists  to 
forty  billions,  an  evident  mistake.  The  values  of  weights,  meas- 
ures and  stated  quantities  differs  so  greatly  in  different  parts  of 
India  that  it  is  possible  that  cror  may  have  been  used,  where 
Mr.  Arnold  resided,  to  indicate  a  million,  making  his  calculation  of 
four  hundred  million  living  Buddhists  corrrect. 

4.  Lakfu  ." — One  hundred  thousand. 


NOTES.  237 

5.  Mhrh  :—\  barbarian,  not  speaking  Sanskrit,  nor  subject  t<i 
HiiKlii  institutions. 

0.  T/ie  binUand  bea*l»  and  (reeping  thing*  : — In  all  tlieso  listen- 
ing aniiimis  wpr»>  Ihiman  souls  in  tbe  progress  of  trnnsmifrration, 
awaiting  the  death  of  the  animal,  when  po.ssibly  tlii>y  might  a>;i>in 
b«>  biirn  in  hunmn  form,  and  thi-rrin  find  Nirviina  attHinalilc.  Ono 
of  tlif  principal  reasons  the  Hindus  give  for  not  killing  any  crcii 
ture,  however  dangerous  or  loathsome,  is  that  possibly  the  8"ul  ot 
some  deceased  friend  or  relative  may  be  in  the  creatur<>'s  Iroily. 

7.  Om  : — This  sacred  .syllable  occupies  a  distinguished  pinii- 
among  the  objects  of  careful  and  speciiil  nieditatiuu.  The  student 
must  devoutly  repeat  it  again  and  aguiu,  and  fix  his  mind  in  in- 
tenaeet  degree  upon  its  several  lueanings.  The  Mandukyn  Tpun- 
isbad  declares  them  to  be  four  in  number.  The  A  in  it  denotes 
Britbm&  in  the  form  of  Vaishwannr,  the  human  soul  in  its  waking 
state.  The  U  refers  to  bim  as  Taijasa,  in  the  state  of  dreaming. 
The  M  represents  him  as  Prajna,  in  the  state  of  deep  sleep.  The 
combined  syllable  Om,  t.^.,  Al'M,  denotes  liim  at  once  aa  the  Su- 
preme invisible,  blissful,  without  a secoud.  The  Sutras  attribute 
to  the  syllable  tliree  elements  of  meaning,  and  deckre  the  elBcaey 
of  its  repetition  to  depend  Ujion  the  sense  in  which  it  is  viewed  by 
the  devotee.  "Ho  who  mi-ditates  on  all  tliree,  like  a  serpent 
which  casts  its  skin,  ascends  at  ance  to  Bnihinil.  After  .sharpening 
the  arrow  by  devotion,  fix  to  it  that  great  weapon,  the  bow  foluid 
in  the  Upanishad,  and  after  drawing  it,  and  carefully  aiming  at 
thy  mark,  pierce  liim,  oh  beloved,  who  is  the  imi)erishable."  It  is 
said  that  Urn  is  the  bow,  tbe  soul  the  arrow,  and  Bruluna  the 
mark. 

8.  Amitnyii  : — Immeasurable. 

9.  Brahm  .—See  Note  17,  Book  the  Fifth. 

10.       Pr<iy  not  !  the  Darknint  tcUl  not  brightenl  Ask 
Nought  J'rmn  the  SUtner.forit  cannot  tpeak/ 
Vex  nut  your  mournful  minds  trithpunuf  pains/ 
Ah  I  brother;  Sisters  !  Hck 

Nought  from  the  helpless  gods  bg  gift  and  hymn. 

Nor  bribe  irilh  blood,  nor  feed  ihthfiuit  and  cakes; 
Within  yoursflres  deliteranes  must  be  sought ; 
Eiteh  F/i.iii  his  prison  makes. 
These  stanzas  against   prayer  are  the  saddest  of  all   Buddha's 
teachings,  and  that  with  which  his  foUow.'rs  are  the  least  able  to 
comply       All  passions,  nil  drsires  tht-y  may  subdue,  but  evrr  and 
over  tiie  heart  seeks  in  prayer  home  light,  some  relea.se.     No  reli- 
fnonists  pray  so  much,  with  so  many  re|>etitions,  or  by  so  nmny  de- 
Ticett  of  rosaries,  bells,  wheels,    machinery,  or  substitutes,  as  the 
Buddhists. 


238  NOTES. 

11.  IndrA  .-—See  Note  17,  Book  the  Third. 

12.  Dharma  : — Law,  the  "  Power  divine." 

13.  Semmum  : — was  created  on  the  11th  of  February  by  Tama, 
the  god  of  the  lower  regions,  hence  the  day  and  plant  are  consid- 
ered sacred.  The  oil  of  the  sesamum  seeds  is  very  largely  used  in 
India  for  religious  service,  cooking  and  lights. 

14.  Mrvdna  .-—See  Note  49,  Book  the  Sixth. 

15.  Om  .-—See  Note  7,  Book  the  Eighth. 

16.  Mani : — Sage. 

17.  Padme  ; — Lotus  or  Golden  Lotus. 

18.  the  Deicdrop  slips 

Into  the  shining  sea. 

This  is  a  Briihminical,  not  a  Buddhist,  idea  of  Nirvana,  and  is  a 
favorite  form  of  expression  among  them.  The  Buddhist  phrase- 
ology is,  that  the  soul  is  blown  out  like  a  lamp,  or  as  blowing  out 
is  applied  to  a  fire,  or  to  a  sage."  * 

19.  .ffarwKf  .•— See  Note  46,  Book  the  Sixth. 

20.  Kalpas;—?,ee  Note  64,  Book  the  First. 

21.  Birdn-wecd: — Foreign  weed.    , 

22.  If  any  teofh  Mrvdna  is  to  cease, 

Say  unto  such  they  lie. 
If  any  teach  Nirvdna  is  to  live. 
Say  unto  siwh  they  err. 

If  anyone  hopes  to  arrive  at  a  full  understanding  of  this  subject, 
let  them  be  well  forewarned  of  its  impossibility.  Mr.  Hardy  states 
that  there  are  forty-four  Buddhist  sects,  each  holding  different 
views  of  the  future.  1 — 16.  Those  who  hold  a  future  state  of  con- 
scious existence,  and  that  it  is  either  material,  immaterial,  a  mixed 
state,  or  neither  material  or  immaterial ;  that  it  is  either  finite,  in- 
definitely extended,  a  mixture  of  both  states,  or  neither  one  nor  the 
other;  or  that  its  perceptions  are  either  simple,  discursive,  limit- 
ed, unlimited,  happy,  miserable,  mixed  or  insensible.  17 — 24.  Those 
who  hold  a  future  state  of  unconscious  existence.  25 — 32.  Those 
who  hold  a  state  between  consciousness  and  unconsciousness.  83 — 
39.  Those  who  hold  that  death,  at  once,  or  ultimately,  is  annihilation. 
40 — 44.  Those  who  reason  on  the  mode  in  which  perfect  happiness 
is  to  be  obtained. 

According  to  Buddha,  the  pure  unmixed  truth  is  not  to  be  found 
anywhere  but  in  his  own  preaching.  To  other  teachers  the  truth 
may  appear  partially;  but  to  him  alone  does  it  appear  in  unshroud- 
ed  "clearness  and  in  its  utmost  amplitude.  In  him  it  is  not  acqui- 
sition gained  by  means  of  some  mental  process,  nor  is  it  a  lesson 
taught  by  another.  It  is  an  intuitive  underived  power;  a  self-gen- 
erated effulgence.     By  this  unerring  sage  it  is  declared  that  none 

•  Chips  from  a  German  Workshop. 


NOTKS.  239 

Bf  the  abovo  opinions  »re  oonslfrtPtit  with  the  truth .  And  yet  di-nth 
Is  not  annihilation.  Wo  exist,  and  wo  do  not  eyist.  Wo  die  and 
we  do  not  die.  There  will  be  a  future  state  of  existence,  but  not 
of  the  individuality  that  now  exists;  and  tliouph  death  is  the  dis- 
solution of  that  which  now  exists,  it  is  not  annihilation  of  a  |)oten- 
tiality  inherent  in  tliat  eii.stciice.  • 

23.  Atmijuift'  .—See  Note  29,  IVxik  tl\e  Fifth. 

34.  irhite  he  threui 

liit-e.  red  and  vhite.frimi  ht^th  hand». 

It  i.s  the  duty  of  every  Hindu  householder  to  offer  certain  prayers 
Willi  fixxl  and  water  each  mominf;.  Having  bathed  ami  put"  ou 
clean  clothes,  he  must  devoutly  offer  libations,  scattering  wati'r 
thrice  for  gods,  al.so  thrici-  for  risliis,  progenitors,  friends  and  rel- 
atives and  many  others,  accompanied  by  a  lengthy  prayer  addre.ss- 
ed  to  all  manner  of  gi»ls,  men,  animals,  plants  "and  all  creaturt  s." 
After  this,  having  rinsed  his  mouth,  he  makes  offerings  to  the  sun, 
household  gods,  residents  of  earth,  air,  heaven  and  hell,  to  parents, 
teachers,  family,  kinsmen  near  and  remote,  to  the  cardinal  points, 
atmosphere,  twilight  etc.,  etc.  Then  taking  other  rice,  let  the 
householder  at  pleasure  cast  it  upon  a  clean  spot  of  ground,  as 
an  offering  to  all  beings,  repeating  with  collected  mind  this  prayer: 
"  May  go<ls,  men,  animals,  birds,  saints,  yakshay.  serpents,  demons, 
ghosts,  goblins,  trees,  all  that  uesire  food  given  by  me;  may  ants, 
wonns,  moths  and  other  insects,  hungered  ami  bound  in  the  bonds 
of  acts,  may  all  obtain  satisfaction  from  the  food  left  them  by  me, 
and  enjoy  happinesis:  may  they  who  have  neither  father  nor  mother, 
nor  relations,  nor  food,  nor  means  of  preparing  it,  \w.  satisfied  and  1 
pleaited  with  the  foo<l  pres»>nted  for  their  contentment;  may  all 
beings  that  are  comprehended  in  the  fourteen  onlers  of  existent 
things  be  satisfied  with  the  food  l)estowe<i  by  mo  ff.r  their  gratifi- 
cation, and  be  delighted.  '  Having  uttered  this  prayer,  let  the  de- 
vout believer  ca.st  tho  food  ujwn  the  ground  for  the  nourishment 
of  all  kinds  of  lieings.  for  the  householder  is  thus  the  supporter  of 
them  all.  Let  him  scatter  food  upon  the  ground  for  dogs,  outcasts, 
blnta  and  all  fallen  and  decraded  persons. 

2.'>.  Dwn  nil  .—See  Note  40,  Hook  the  Sixth. 

26.  Three  DiMm .— Thcro  am  three  entrances,  whence  proceed 
that  which  Is  good,  and  that  which  is  evil :  1.  The  body.  2.  Tho 
■p<-ech.     3.  Tlie  mind. 

27.  TripU  Thoughts  .— Thor»  are  three  suhiects  upon  which  the 
mind  of  the  ascetic  oughtconstantly  to  dwell  :  1.  Impennanency. 
2.  Sorrow.     8.   Unreality. 

28.  The  SufoM  l^aies  of  Mxnd:—\.  EvU  desire.  2.  Anger. 
$.   Ignorance.     4.  Purity.     5.  Budhi.     6.   Attention. 


240  NOTES. 

39.  Mmfold  Pmners  .-—1.  Purity.  2.  Persevering  action.  3. 
Ascertainment  of  truth.     4.  Tranquillity.     5.  Wisdom. 

30.  MgM  High  Gates  of  Purity: — 1.  Correct  ideas  upon  religious 
subjects.  2.  Correct  thoughts.  3.  Correct  words.  4.  Correct 
works.  5.  Correct  life.  6.  Correct  endeavors.  7.  Correct  judg- 
ment.    8.  Correct  tranquUlity. 

31.  Modes  of  Understanding : — 1.  The  meaning  of  any  matter, 
in  its  separate  divisions.  2.  The  doctrines  of  Buddha.  3.  The 
power  of  the  Buddhas  to  perceive  all  truth  intuitively,  without 
study  and  without  the  teaching  of  another.  4.  The  power  of  tho 
ascetics  to  know  the  roots  and  the  properties  of  thin^. 

32.  Iddhi  : — The  power  of  working  miracles. 

33.  Upekslia  : — is  freedom  from  all  kinds  of  desire. 

34.  Five  Great  Meditations : — 1.  Purity.  2.  Persevering  action. 
3.  The  ascertainment  of  truth.     4.   Tranquillity.     5.  Wisdom. 

35.  Amrit : — The  food  of  the  gods  that  gives  immortality.  The 
lower  people  sometimes  drink  the  water  in  which  eminent  Brah- 
mins have  bathed  their  feet,  calling  it  amrit. 

36.  Jluinas:  Wisdom. 

37.  Tlw  Three  Chief  Refuges ;— 1.  The  benefits  of  the  world  of 
men.  2.  The  enjoyment  of  the  dewa  and  brahma-lokas.  3.  Nir- 
vana. 

38.  Strainer  : — A  thin  piece  of  cloth  for  straining  water  before 
it  is  drank.  Some  sects  in  India,  particularly  the  Yauis,  still  use 
a  strainer,  lest  unknowingly  they  should  swallow  some  insect,  and 
thus  take  life.     The  mysteries  revealed  to  them  by  the  microscope 

.amaze  and  perplex  them  greatly. 

39.  Sanqha  : — Society  or  community. 

40.  Tathdgato  .-—Teacher. 

41.  Om  mani  padme  hum  : — ^is  generally  translated  "  Glory 
to  the  Lotus  bearer.  Hum."  Hum  is  not  here  ussd  with  its  origi- 
nal Sanskrit  meaning,  but  has  come  to  be  used  in  the  sense  of 
praise.  Among  some  of  the  Buddhists,  the  ascription  is  under- 
stood as  "  Om  praise  to  the  Golden  Lotus  Saint," 


TIIE   INDIAN 


SONG  OF  SONGS 


BY 

EDWIN    ARNOLD,    C.    S. 


AUTUon  OF 


77i<  Lig>U  of  Atut,'     •  PuirU  of  th*  Faith,"  et*. 


JTEW   TORK 

JOHK  n.  ALDEN.  Pi  hmsiikr 

18s3 


THE  INDIAN  SONG  OF  SONGS. 


PREFACE. 


BBAtrriFn,  flowers  please,  whatever  their  name  and 
country;  and  so  far  as  any  brightness  or  fragrance  may 
have  been  preserved  from  the  Aryan  original  in  this 
paraphrase,  it  will  no  doubt  be  recognized  by  the  reader 
of  intelligence.  Yet  being  so  exotic,  the  poem  demands 
a  word  or  two  of  introduction. 

The  "  Qtla  Ooviuda."  then,  or  "  Song  of  Govind,"  is 
a  Sanskrit  idyl,  or  little  pastoral  drama,  in  which — 
unilcr  the  form  of  Krishna,  an  incarnation  of  the 
Cixi  Vi.ihnoo — the  human  soul  is  displayed  m  its  re- 
lations alternately  with  earthly  and  celestial  beauty. 
Krishna — at  onco  human  and  divine — is  first  seen  at- 
tracted by  the  pleasures  of  the  senses  (pcrsouifled  by 
the  shepherdesses  in  the  wood),  and  wasting  his  aflec- 
Uona  upon  the  delights  of  their  illusory  world.  Radiia, 
the  spirit  of  intellcqtual  and  moral  beauty,  comes  to  free 
him  from  this  error  by  enkindling  in  his  heart  a  desire 
for  her  own  surpa.'viing  loveliness  of  form  and  character; 
and  under  the  parable  of  a  human  passion — too  glow- 
ingly depicted  by  the  Indian  poet  for  e.xact  transcription 
— the  gradual  emancipation  of  Krishna  from  sensuous 
di-stractions,  and  his  union  with  Hoilha  in  a  high  and 
iipiritualizrd  happiness,  are  porlrayud.  This  general  in- 
torpretatioD,  at  any  rate,  though  disputed  by  certain  au- 


4  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRART. 

thorities,  is  maintained  by  Jones,  Lassen,  and  others; 
and  has  been  followed,  not  without  occasional  diffi- 
culty, in  the  subjoined  version. 

Lassen  thus  writes  in  his  Latin  prolegomena:  "To 
speak  my  opinion  in  one  word,  Krishna  is  here  the 
diviuely-given  soul  manisested  in  humanity.  .  .  .  The 
recollection  of  this  celestial  origin  abides  deep  in  the 
mind,  and  even  when  it  seems  to  slumber — drugged  as 
it  were  by  the  fair  shows  of  the  world,  the  pleasures  of 
visible  things,  and  the  intoxication  of  the  senses — it  now 
and  again  awakes,  .  .  .  full  of  yearning  to  recover  the 
sweet  serenity  of  its  pristine  condition.  Then  the  soul  be- 
gins  to  discriminate  and  to  perceive  that  the  love,  which 
Evas  its  inmost  principle,  has  been  lavished  on  empty 
knd  futile  objects;  it  grows  a- wearied  of  things  sensual, 
false,  and  unenduring;  it  longs  to  fix  its  affection  on 
that  which  shall  be  stable,  and  the  source  of  true  and 
eternal  delight.  Krishna — to  use  the  imagery  of  this 
poem — thrones  Radha  in  his  heart,  as  the  sole  and  only 
one  who  can  really  satisfy  his  aspirations.  .  .  . 

"Radha  is  supreme  in  beauty,  with  a  loveliness  which 
is  at  once  celestial,  and  yet  enshrined  in  earthly  mould. 
Her  charms  lift  the  mind  to  heavenly  contemplations, 
and  the  God  of  Love,  Kama,  borrows  his  best  weapons 
from  them.  She  is  forgiving  and  pitiful  even  towards 
her  erring  and  lingering  lover;  she  would  meet  him  in 
returning  if  she  could;  she  grieves  more  than  she  blames; 
and  once  reconciled,  is  beyond  measure  tender.  .  .  .  The 
remedy  for  the  illusions  of  sense — saiiMra — is  placed  by 
all  Hindoo  philosophers  in  the  understanding  of  true 
existence,  and  Radha,  in  my  judgment,  represents  this 
remedy  —  being  the  personified  contemplation  of  the 
divine  beauty  and  goodness.  .  .  .  Sucli  contemplation 
flies  from  and  disowns  the  mind  possessed  by  sensual 


THE  INDIAN  SONG  OF  SONGS.  6 

objects,  but  goes  to  meet  and  glmily  iiilmbit  thnt  wliich 
rDiiscrriites  itself,  a-s  Krishna's  dots,  to  the  higher  love. 
...  It  bewails  its  separation  from  tlic  soul,  ns  that 
which  was  its  natural  dwcllingpliicc  before  the  change- 
ful sliows  of  mortal  life  banished  it;  and  this  is  the  mys- 
tery of  mutuiU  attraction  between  the  mind  and  mental 
beauty,  that  the  memory  of  the  divine  happiness  docs 
not  die,  but  is  revived  by  the  recognition  of  truth,  and 
returns  to  the  perception  of  what  things  in  love  arc 
worthless,  and  what  arc  real  and  worthy.  The  affec- 
tion of  Kadha  is  jealous,  and  grants  not  the  full  sight 
of  her  charms,  until  the  soul  of  its  own  accord  abandons 
its  preoccupations,  and  becomes  filled  with  the  desire  of 
the  true  love.  But  ui>on  the  soul  thus  returning  she 
lavishes  her  utmost  tenderness;  whereof  to  be  the  re- 
cipient is  to  have  all  wishes  fulfilled  and  ni)thing  lack- 
ing— to  be  tripta — '  wellxouteutcd.'  Such,  in  my  opin- 
ion, is  the  recondite  significance  of  this  poem,  hidden 
under  imagery  but  too  luxuriant.  The  Indian  poet 
seems,  indeed,  to  have  spent  rather  more  labor  in  de- 
picting tlie  phases  of  earthly  pa.ssion  than  of  that  intel- 
lectual yejirning  by  which  the  mind  is  lifted  to  the  con- 
templation of  divine  things;  .  .  .  but  the  fable  of  the 
loves  of  Govinda  and  Itadlia  existing  from  antiquity, 
and  being  universally  accepted,  philosophy  had  to  affix 
its  doctrines  to  the  story  in  surh  a  way  us  that  the  vul- 
gar amours  of  tho^e  popular  deities  might  present  them- 
selves in  a  nobler  aspect." 

Nothing  in  the  way  of  exposition  needs  to  be  added 
to  these  words. 

The  great  variety  of  measure  in  the  original  has  Ixien 
indicated  by  frequently  varj-ing  the  metre  of  this  para 
phrase,  without  meanwhile  attempting  to  imitate  the 
many  very  fanciful  allitcrutions,  assonances,  and  recur 


6  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

ring  choruses;  of  which  last,  however,  two  examples 
have  been  introduced.  The  "  Glta  Govinda,"  with  these 
refrains  and  the  musical  accompaniments  named  and 
prescribed  by  the  directions  embodied  in  the  text,  must 
have  been  a  species  of  Oriental  opera.  Tlds  raises  the 
difficult  and  little-studied  subject  of  ancient  Hindoo 
music,  upon  which  a  passing  word  or  two  may  not  ap- 
pear impertinent.  Sir  William  Jones  says,  "When  I 
first  read  the  songs  of  Jayadeva,  who  has  prefixed  to 
each  the  name  of  the  mode  in  which  it  was  to  be  sung, 
I  had  hopes  of  procuring  the  original  music;  but  the 
Pundits  of  the  South  referred  me  to  those  of  the  West, 
and  the  Brahmans  of  the  West  would  have  sent  me  to 
those  of  the  North,  while  they  of  Nepal  and  Cashmere 
declared  that  they  had  no  ancient  music,  but  imagined 
that  the  notes  of  the  '  Glta  Govinda '  must  exist,  if  any- 
where, where  the  poet  was  born "  (Sir  W.  Jones,  vol.  i. 
p.  440). 

Now  the  reason  why  this  illustrious  scholar  could  not 
find  the  score  of  the  "  Glta,"  was  that  music  was  always 
taught  orally  by  the  Hindoos,  and  therefore  did  not  pass 
down  from  the  old  minstrels  in  any  noted  form.  Yet 
there  existed  an  elaborate  science  of  melody  among  the 
ancient  Indians;  although,  like  the  Greeks,  they  under- 
'stood  little  or  nothing  of  harmony.  The  distinguishing 
feature  of  Hindoo  airs  was,  and  still  is,  an  extremely 
fine  gradation  of  notes ;  the  semitone'could  be  accurately 
divided  into  demi-semitones  by  the  ear  and  voice  of  a 
practised  "Gundharb"  or  "Goonee."  This  even  now 
imparts  a  delicacy  to  the  otherwise  monotonous  temple- 
singing,  which  all  musicians  would  recognize;  and  they 
might  find  in  such  treatises  as  the  "Sungeet  Durpun," 
"  Ragavibodha,"  and  "  Rag  mala,"  or  "  Chaplet  of  Mel- 
odies," complete  and  curious  explanations  of  the  Hindoo 


rnB  INDIAN  SON  a  of  songs.         7 

orcliestra.  In  Uiat  fantastic  system  llie  old  Aryan  com- 
pasers  established  six  ragas,  or  divine  fundamental  nirs, 
having  each  five  wives  or  raginte*.  and  each  of  these 
producing  eight  mclo<lious  cliildreii;  so  that  the  ortho- 
dox repertory  contained  two  hundred  and  forty  separate 
songs.  These  songs  hotl  their  fixcii  occosion,  subject, 
and  season;  all  to  be  reverently  observed;  otherwise  the 
deity  presiding  over  each  was  not  thought  likely  to  at- 
tend and  give  perfect  effect  to  the  music.  These  lyric 
divinities  are  personified  and  described  in  such  works 
as  the  "  Ralnanittla:"  thus  "  Gurjjart '— a  melody  fre- 
quently indicated  here  by  .Tayadeva — is  represented  as 
a  feminine  minstrel  of  engaging  mien,  dressed  in  yellow 
bodice  and  red  Mree,  richly  bedecked  with  jewels  and 
enthroned  in  a  golden  swing,  as  the  third  wife  of  the 
Baga  .Vegh.  Musical  science  was  divided  into  seven 
branciics — Surudhyaya  or  sol-fa-ing.  rag  or  melody,  tal 
or  time,  nrit  or  rhythmical  dancing,  aurth  or  poetry, 
bhaB  or  expression,  and  husl,  answering  to  method, 
"touch."  The  gamut  contained  seven  notes  singularly 
named — Su  was  runij,  the  scream  of  the  peacock;  r» 
was  rikhub.  the  cry  of  the  parrot;  gu  wa.s  gund/iur,  the 
bleat  of  the  sheep;  mil  was  muildJiun,  the  call  of  the 
crane:  pii  stood  for  puncham.  and  the  note  of  the  KoJI; 
fttu  for  dhyeul.  the  neigh  of  the  horse;  and  ni  for  ni- 
Uiad,  the  trumpeting  of  the  elephant.  Endless  subtle- 
ties characterized  their  musical  terms — thus  Uil  or 
"time,"  is  a  word  made  up  of  the  first  letters  from 
tiind,  tlie  dance  of  Slahadeo,  and  Uu,  the  dance  of  Par- 
vati,  his  consort;  \>ut  these  are  mere  etymological  nice- 
tics,  characteristic  of  llie  hard  lauguago  in  which  one 
single  word  may  l>c  written  in  a  hundred  and  eight 
ways.  Enough  hiis  lieeu  said  to  show,  from  sourcis 
which  arc  perhaps  Honiewhat  out  of  general  reach,  Ihul 


8  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

a  special  accompaniment  of  music  was  prescribed  for 
the  "Glta  Govinda"  wlien  composed,  -which,  could  it 
be  recovered,  would  add  immensely  to  the  interest  of 
the  Sanskrit  Canticle;  and  indeed,  even  at  present,  any 
competent  inquirer  into  the  existing  melodies  of  India, 
popular  and  sacred,  might  be  rewarded  by  many  ex- 
quisite airs  worth  the  ear  of  European  maestri  them- 
selves. The  Indians  of  to-day  have  still  their  dhmrpudt, 
or  heroic  ballads;  their  khe<ds,  ghuzuh,  and  rekhtahs, 
love-songs  of  Mogul  derivation ;  their  dadras  and  nvkias, 
serenades  of  Hindoo  origin;  the  tuppaTt.  hummed  by 
Hindi  and  Punjabi  camel-drivers;  the  terana,  or  "song 
without  words;"  the  palna.  or  cradle-song;  the  sofda,  or 
marriage-strain;  the  stoofi,  or  eulogistic  chants;  and  the 
zikri,  which  are  hymns  of  morality.  Probably  among 
these  some  echoes  of  the  antique  melodies  of  Jayadeva 
may  be  preserved;  at  any  rate,  such  a  list — and  it  might 
be  largely  extended — shows  that  Indian  music  well  mer- 
its professional  study. 

Jayadeva,  a  native  of  Kinduvilva  or  Kend61i,  in 
Burdwan  or  Tirhoot  (for  the  locality  is  doubtful), 
wrote,  according  to  Lassen,  about  1150  A.D.  The 
theme  of  the  Indian  poet's  musical  mystery-play  is 
found  in  the  tenth  section  of  the  Bhagavata,  but  Hin- 
doo literature  and  daily  talk  are  full  of  this  half-divine, 
half-human  Krishna;  and  in  turning  into  a  religious 
canticle  the  loves  of  "Govinda"  and  Radha,  Jayadeva 
might  be  sure  that  every  native  audience,  present  and 
to  come,  would  understand  his  matter.^  The  "  Glta  "  is 
to  this  hour  very  popular  in  India;  but  more  so,  doubt- 
less, because  of  its  melodious  versification  and  its  ardent 
love-pictures  than  the  profound  and  earnest  meanings, 
for  the  sake  of  which  this  impcifect  attempt  has  been 
haaarded.     Extremely  imperfect  it   is,  and  for  exact 


TnE  INDIAN  SONO   OP  SONGS.  9 

S.inskrit  scholars  (among  whoso  honorable  number  the 
.Viithur  has  very  slender  claims  to  rank)  of  no  account 
ii  all;  yet  something,  however  slight,  may  perhaps  be 
ilonc  towanls  the  closer  acquaintjince  of  England  and 
India — an  object  always  dear  to  the  present  writer — by 
this  hLs  second  efTorl  to  popularize  Indian  classics. 
With  the  aid  of  Lassen  (to  whose  labors  and  erudite 
guidance  every  grateful  acknowledgment  is  here  due) 
this  "Song  of  Songs  '  goes,  for  the  most  part,  fairly 
pace  for  pace  witli  the  Sanskrit  text;  although  much 
ha.4  had  to  l>c  modified,  and  the  last  Sarga  omitted,  in 
iirder  to  comply  with  the  canons  of  Western  propriety. 
\a  English  dress  cannot — alas!— fail  to  destroy  some- 
thing of  the  Asiatic  grace  of  Radlm;  but  in  her  own  she 
is  radiant,  fascinating,  and  angelic,  and  seemed  to  teach 
•■i  lesson  so  well  worth  repeating,  that  this  imitation  of 
.layadeva  has  been  ventured  upon. 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 


INTRODUCTION. 


OM! 
REVERENCE  TO  GANESHA! 

'  The  sky  is  clouded;  and  the  wood  resembles 

The  sky,  thick-arched  with  black  TamSIa  boughs; 
O  Radha,  Radha!  take  this  soul  that  trembles 

In  life's  deep  midnight,  to  Thy  golden  house." 
So  Nauda  spoke, — and,  led  by  Radha's  spirit, 

The  feet  of  Krishna  found  the  road  aright; 
Wherefore  in  bliss  which  all  high  hearts  inherit 

Together  taste  they  Love's  divine  delight. 

He  who  wrote  tJiese  things  far  thee, 
Of  the  Son  of  Wassoodce, 
Was  t?ie  poet  Joyadcva; 
Him  Saraswati  gave  eter 
Fancies  fair  his  mind  to  throng. 
Like  pictures  palace-roalls  along; 
Ever  to  his  notes  of  love 
Lakshmi's  mystic  dancers  move. 
If  thy  spirit  seeks  to  brood 
On  Hari  glorious,  Hari  good; 
If  it  feeds  on  solemn  numbers 
Dim  as  dreams  and  soft  as  slumbers, 
Lend  thine  ear  to  Jayadev, 
Lord  of  all  the  spells  that  save 


TUB  INDIAN  SONO   OF  80N(JS.  11 

Umapatidhara't  tlrain 
Ohtet  likt  rote»  after  rain; 
S/iaran'i  ttream-like  tong  is  grand, 
ffiU  tiiie  ye  understand; 
Bani  more  wise  bentath  the  sun. 
Is  notfoiiml  than  Oocardhun; 
Dhojfi  hoUU  the  listener  still 
With  his  shU>kes  of  lubtU  skill; 
But  for  street  uxrrds  suited  well 
Jayadeta  doth  excel. 

(What  folUnes  is    to  the  Music  Malay  A  and  the  Mode 

KUPAKA.) 

HYMN  TO  VISHNU. 

O  THOU  that  beld'st  the  blessed  Veda  dry 
When  all  tilings  else  beneath  the  Hoods  were  hurled; 

Strong  Fish-Ood!  Ark  of  Men!  Jai/  Uari.jai! 
Hail.  Keshttv,  hail!  thou  Master  of  the  world! 

I'lic  round  world  rested  on  thy  spacioufi  nape; 

Upon  thy  neck,  like  a  mere  mole,  it  stood: 
O  thou  that  took'st  for  us  the  Tortoisc-8ha(>e, 

Uail,  Keshav,  hail!  Hulcr  of  ware  and  wood! 

The  world  upon  tliy  curving  tusk  sate  sure. 
Like  the  Moon's  dark  disc  in  her  crescent  palej) 

U  thou  who  ilid'st  for  us  assume  the  Boar, 
ImmorUl  Conqueror!  hail.  Keshav,  hail! 

When  thou  thy  Giant-Foe  didst  seize  and  rend, 
Fierce,  fearful,  long,  and  sharp  wi.re  fang  and  nail ; 

Thou  will)  the  Lion  and  the  Man  didst  blond, 
Lord  of  the  Universe!  hail,  Namiugh,  hail! 


12  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

Wonderful  Dwarf! — who  with  a  threefold  stride 
Cheated  King  Bali— where  thy  footsteps  fall 

Men's  sins,  O  Wamuna!  are  set  aside. 
O  Keshav,  hail!  thou  Help  and  Hope  of  all! 

The  sins  of  this  sad  earth  thou  didst  assoil, 
The  anguish  of  its  creatures  thou  didst  heal; 

Freed  are  we  from  all  terrors  by  thy  toil: 
Hail,  Purshuram,  hail!    Lord  of  the  biting  steel! 

To  thee  the  fell  Ten-Headed  yielded  life. 
Thou  in  dread  battle  laid'st  the  monster  low! 

Ah,  Rama !  dear  to  Gods  and  men  that  strife ; 
We  praise  thee,  Master  of  the  matchless  bow! 

With  clouds  for  garments  glorious  thou  dost  fare, 
Veiling  thy  dazzling  majesty  and  might, 

As  when  Yamuna  saw  thee  with  the  share, 
A  peasant — yet  the  King  of  Day  and  Night. 

Merciful-hearted !  when  thou  earnest  as  Boodh— 
Albeit  'twas  written  in  the  Scriptures  so — 

Thou  bad'st  our  altars  be  no  more  imbrued 
With  blood  of  victims:  Keshav!  bending  low 

We  praise  thee,  Wielder  of  the  sweeping  sword. 
Brilliant  as  curving  comets  in  the  gloom, 

Whose  edge  shall  smite  the  fierce  barbarian  horde ; 
Hail  to  thee.  Keshav!  hail,  and  hear,  and  come, 

And  fill  this  song  of  Jayadev  with  thee, 
And  make  it  wise  to  teach,  strong  to  redeem. 

And  sweet  to  living  souls.     Thou  Mystery! 
Thou  Light  of  Life!  Thou  Dawn  beyond  the  dream! 

Fish!  that  didst  outswim  the  flood; 
Tortoise!  whereon  earth  hath  stood; 


THE  lyniAIf  SONG   OF  SOyQS.  II 

Boar!  who  with  thy  tush  held'st  high 
The  world,  thai  raortals  might  not  die; 
Lion !  who  ha^l  ifiants  loru ; 
Dwarf:  who  laugh'dsl  a  liing  to  scorn; 
Sole  Sulxiuer  of  the  Dreaded! 
Slayer  of  tlie  many-headed ! 
Mighty  Ploughman!    Teacher  tender! 
Of  thine  own  the  sure  Defender! 
Under  all  thy  ten  disguises 
Endless  praise  to  thee  ariaea 

(What  foWne*  is  to  On  Mutic  QimaJAid  and  tht  Mode 

NUISAKA.) 

Endless  praise  arises, 
O  thou  God  that  liest 
Rapt,  on  Kumla's  breast. 
Happiest,  holiest,  highest! 
Planets  are  thy  jewels. 
Stars  thy  forehead  gems. 
Set  like  sapphires  gleaming 
In  kingliest  anadems; 
Even  the  great  gold  Sun-God, 
Blazing  through  the  sky, 
Serves  thee  but  for  crest-stone, 
Jai,  jai  !  Hari ,  ja  i  / 
As  that  Lord  of  day 
After  night  brings  morrow. 
Thou  dost  charm  away 
Life's  long  dream  of  sorro^ 
As  on  Mansa's  water  -^ 

Broo<l  the  swans  at  rest. 
Bo  thy  laws  sit  stately 
On  a  holy  brea.st. 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

O,  Drinker  of  the  poison  1 

Ah,  high  DeUght  of  earth! 

What  light  is  to  the  lotus-buds, 

What  singing  is  to  mirth. 

Art  thou — art  thou  that  slayedst 

Madhou  and  Narak  grim ; 

That  ridest  on  the  King  of  Birds, 

Making  all  glories  dim. 

With  eyes  like  open  lotus-flowers, 

Bright  in  the  morning  rain, 

Freeing  by  one  swift  piteous  glance 

The  spirit  from  Life's  pain : 

Of  all  the  three  Worlds  Treasure  I 

Of  sin  the  Putterby! 

Of  the  Ten-Headed  Victor! 

Jai  Hari  I    Hari  I  jai ! 

Thou  Shaker  of  the  Mountain! 

Thou  Shadow  of  the  Storm  1 

Thou  Cloud  that  unto  Lakshmi's  face 

Comes  welcome,  white,  and  warm ! 

O  thou, — who  to  great  Lakshmi 

Art  like  the  silvery  beam 

Which  moon-sick  chakors  feed  upon 

By  Jumna's  silent  stream, — 

To  thee  this  hymn  ascendeth, 

That  Jayadev  doth  sing, 

Of  worship,  love,  and  mystery ; 

High  Lord  and  heavenly  King! 

And  unto  whoso  hears  it 

Do  thou  a  blessing  bring — 

Whose  neck  is  gilt  with  yellow  dust 

From  lilies  that  did  cling 

Beneath  the  breasts  of  Lakshmi, 

A  girdle  soft  and  sweet. 


TUB  INDIAN  BONO   OF  30N0S. 

When  in  divine  embracing 
The  lips  of  Gods  did  meet ;  / 
And  tlie  titating  heart  above 
Of  Uieo— Dread  Lord  of  Ileavenl— 
She  left  thtit  stamp  of  love — 
By  such  deep  sign  be  given 
Prays  .layadev,  the  glory 
And  the  secret  and  the  spells 
Which  closchid  in  this  story 
Unto  wise  ears  he  tells. 

Eho  of  Intboddctiok. 


SAUGA   TUB  FIRST. 


SAMODADAMODABO. 
THE  SPORTS  OF  KRISHNA. 

BEArTiFiTL  Radha.  jasmine-bosomed  Radha, 
All  in  the  Springtime  waited  by  the  wood 
For  Krishna  fair,  Krishna  the  all-forgetful, — 
Krishna  with  earthly  love's  false  Are  consuming — 
And  some  one  of  her  maidens  sang  this  song:— 

( WhatfoUoat  ittotht  Mu$ie  Vasakta  and  the  Modt 
Yati.) 

I  know  where  Krishna  tarries  in  these  early  days  of 

Spring. 
*\"hcn  every  wind  from  warm  Malay  brings  fragranc* 

CO  iu  wing; 


16  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

Brings  fragrance  stolen  far  away  from  thickets  of  the 

clove, 
In  jungles  where  the  bees  hum  and  the  Koil  flutes  her 

love ; 
He  dances  with  the  dancers,  of  a  merry  morrice  one, 
All  in  the  budding  Spring-time,  for  'tis  sad  to  be  alone. 

.    I  know  how  Krishna  passes  these  hours  of  blue  and 

gold, 
When  parted  lovers  sigh  to  meet  and  greet  and  closely 

hold 
Hand  fast  in  hand;  and  every  branch  upon  the  Vakul- 

tree 
Droops  downward  with  a  hundred  blooms,  in  every 

bloom  a  bee ; 
He  is  dancing  with  the  dancers  to  a  laughter-moving 

tone, 
In  the  soft  awakening  Spriug-time,  when  'tis  hard  to 

live  alone. 

Where  Kroona-flowers,  that  open  at  a  lover's  lightest 

tread. 
Break,  and,  for  shame  at  what  they  hear,  from  white 

blush  modest  red ; 
And  all  the  spears  on  all  the  boughs  of  aU  the  Ketuk- 

glades 
Seem  ready  darts  to  pierce  the  hearts  of  wandering 

youths  and  maids; 
'Tis  there  thy  Krishna  dances  till  the  merry  drum  is 

done. 
All  in  the  sunny  Spring-time,  when  who  can  live  alone? 

Where  the  breaking-forth  of  blossom  on  the  yellow 

Keshra-sprays 
Dazzles  like  Kama's  sceptre,  whom  all  the  world  obeys; 


TUB  INDIAN  SONG   OF  SONGS.  IT 

And  rstal-buds  fill  drowsy  bees  from  pink  delicious 

bowU.  • 

As  Eama'a  ncctorcd  goblet  stcei>s  in  languor  human 

souls; 
There  he  dances  with  the  dancers,  and  of  Rjidha  think 

elli  none, 
All  in  the  warm  new  Spring-tide,  when  none  will  live 

alone. 

Where  the  breath  of  waving  Mfidhvi  pours  incense 

through  the  grove. 
And  silken   Mogras    lull   the  sense  with  essences  of 

love, — 
The  silken-soft  pale  Mogra,   whose  perfume  fine  and 

faint 
Can  melt  tlie  coldness  of  a  maid,  the  sternness  of  a 

saint — 
There  dances  with  those  dancers  thine  other  self,  thine  • 

Own. 
All  in  the  languorous  Spring-time,  when  none  will  live 

alone. 

Where — as  if  wann  lips  touched  sealed  eyes  and  waked 

them— all  the  bloom 
Opens  upon  the  mangoes  to  feel  the  sunshine  come; 
And  Atimuktas  wind  their  anns  of  .softest  green  about. 
Clasping  tiie  stems,  while  calm  and  clear  great  Jumna 

apreadcth  out ; 
There  dances  and  there  laughs  thy  Love,  with  damsels 

many  and  one. 
In  the  rosy  days  of  Springtime,  for  he  will  not  live 

alone. 

Jilark  Out  tong  ofjayaden! 
Dt«p  a*  pearl  in  oetan-ttat* 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

Lurheth  in  its  lines  a  wander 
W/tich  the  loise  alone  mil  ponder: 
Though  it  seemeth  of  the  eart7t,y 
Heavenly  is  the  music's  birth /y 
Telling  darkly  of  delights 
In  the  wood,  of  wasted  nights. 
Of  witless  days,  andfndtlcas  lor^. 
And  false  pleasures  of  the  grove,  \ 
And  rash  passions  of  the  2>rime,  ( 
And  those  dances  of  Spring-time }i 
Time,  which  seems  so  subtle-sweet. 
Time,  which  pipes  to  dancing  feet, 
Ah  !  so  softly — ah  !  so  sweetly — 
That  among  those  wood-inaids  featly 
Krishna  cannot  choose  hit  daiux. 
Letting  pass  life's  greater  cha/ius^ 

Yet  the  winds  that  sigh  so 

As  they  stir  the  rose, 
Wake  a  sigh  from  Krishna 

WistfuUer  than  those; 
All  their  faint  breaths  swinging 

The  creepers  to  and  fro 
Pass  like  rustling  arrows 

Shot  from  Kama's  bow: 
Thus  among  the  dancers  • 

What  those  zephyrs  bring 
Strikes  to  Krishna's  spirit 

Like  a  darted  sting. 

And  all  as  if— far  wandered— 
The  traveller  should  liear 

The  bird  of  home,  the  Koil, 
With  nest-notes  rich  and  clear; 


THE  INDIAN  SONQ   OF  SONUS. 


And  there  should  come  one 

A  blessed  tk-cting  dream? 
Of  the  bees  among  tlio  mangoes 

Beside  his  native  streiim; 
So  flash  those  sudden  yearnings, 

Tliat  S0I1SO  of  a  dearer  thing, 
The  love  and  \tu:k  of  liadha 

Upon  his  soul  in  Spring. 

Then  she,  the  mriiil  of  Radha  fpakc  again; 
And  pointing  far  away  between  the  leaves 
Guided  her  lovely  Mistress  where  to  look. 
And  note  how  Krishna  wantoned  in  the  wood 
Now  with  this  one,  now  that;  his  heort,  her  prize. 
Panting  with  foolish  passions,  and  his  eyes 
Beaming  with  too  much  love  for  those  fair  girls — 
Fair,  but  not  so  as  Radha;  and  she  sang 

(WJiat  foOotet  it  to  the  3fu*ic  IUmacir!  and  the  Mode 

Yati.) 
See,  Lady!  how  thy  Krishna  passes  these  idle  hours 
Decked  forth  in  fold  of  woven  gold,  and  crowned  with 

forest  flowers: 
And  scented  with  the  sandal,  and  gay  with  gems  of 

price— 
Rubica  to  mate  hk  laughing  lips,  and  diamonds  like  his 

eyes;—  ^  ^.lAvAJk. 

In  the  company  of  damsels,*  who  dance  and  sing  and 

play. 

Lies   Krishna  laughing,  toying,  dreaming  his   Spring 
away. 

•  It  will  b«  otadTTiNl  th»t  Iho  "  flopis"  lioro  penoniry  lh«  five 
teatte*.  Luwn  ujre.  "  Uani/ett'uin  cat  j>u«Uu  ittit  nil  ul4uJ 
aif/uijlctiri  quam  r9s  »enMiUt.*' 


20  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

One,  with  star-blossomed  champSk  wreathed,  woos  him 

to  rest  his  head 
On  the  dark  pillow  of  her  breast  so  tenderly  outspread; 
And  o'er  his  brow  with  roses  blown  she  fans  a  fragrance 

rare, 
That  falls  on  the  enchanted  sense  tike  rain  in  thirsty 

air. 
While  the  company  of  damsels  wave  many  an  odorous 

spray, 
And  Krishna  laughing,  toying,  sighs  the  soft  Spring 

away. 

Another,  gazing  in  his  face,  sits  wistfully  apart, 
Searching  it  with  those  looks  of  love  that  leap  from  heart 

to  heart; 
Her  eyes— afire  with  shy  desire,  veiled  by  their  lashes 

black- 
Speak  so  that  Krishna  cannot  choose  but  send  the  mes- 
sage back. 
In  the  company  of  damsels  whose  bright  eyes  in  a  ring 
Shine  round  him  with  soft  meanings  in  the  merry  light 
of  Spring. 

The  third  one  of  that  dazzling  band  of  dwellers  in  the 

wood — 
Body  and  bosom  panting  with  the  pulse  of  youthful 

blood — 
Leans  over  him,   as  in  his  ear  a  lightsome  thing  to 

speak. 
And  then  with  leaf-soft  lip  imprints  a  kiss  below  his 

cheek ; 
A  kiss  that  thrills,  and  Krishna  turns  at  the  silken  touch 
To  give  it  back— ah,  Radhal   forgetting  thee  too  much. 


THE  INBIAN  SONQ   OP  SONOS.  21 

Ajid  one  with  arch  smilo  beckons  him  away  from  Jummi's 
banks. 

Where  the  tall  bamboos  bristle  like  spears  in  battle- 
ranks. 

And  plucks  his  cloth  to  make  him  como  into  the  mango, 
shade. 

Where  the  fruit  is  ripo  and  golden,  and  the  milk  and 
cakes  are  laid: 

Oh  I  golden-rc<l  the  mangoes,  and  glad  the  feasts  of 
Spring, 

And  fair  tlie  flowers  to  lie  upon,  and  sweet  the  dancers 
sing. 

Sweetest  of  all  that  Temptress  who  dances  for  him  now 
With  subtle  feet  wiiich  part  and  meet  in  the  Rils-meas- 

urc  slow. 
To  the  chime  of  silver  bangles  and  the  beat  of  rose-leaf 

hands. 
And  pipe  and  lute  and  cymbal  played  by  the  woodland 

bands ; 
So  that  wholly  passion- laden^ye,  ear,  sense,  soul  o'er) 


Krishna  Is  theirs  in  the  forest;  his  heart  forgets  its  home. 

Kruhna,  made  for  heannly  things. 
'ifitl  thote  woodland  ringert  tingt; 
Wilh  thote  dancen  dancttfeatly, 
Gicet  baek  soft  embratts  nteetly; 
Umilet  on  that  one,  toys  irith  this, 
Glanetfor  glance  and  kins  for  kits; 
Meets  the  merry  damsels  fairly, 
PUtyi  the  round  of  folly  rarely. 
Lapped  in  milktearm  springtime  ireallicr. 
lie  and  those  broun  girls  togdher. 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

And  this  shadotoed  earthly  lov£i 

In  the  twilight  of  the  grove. 

Dance  and  song  and  soft  caresses, 

Meeting  looks  and  tangled  tresses, 

JayoJleri  the  same  hath  writ, 

That  ye  might  liave  gain  of  it. 

Sagely  its  deep  sense  conceiving 

And  its  inner  light  believing; 

How  that  Love — tJie  mighty  Master, 

Lord  of  all  t/te  stars  tliat  duster 

In  tlie  sky,  swiftest  and  slowest. 

Lord  of  highest.  Lord  of  lowest — 

Manifests  himself  to  mortals, 

Winning  them  toward  t!ie  portals 

Of  his  secret  House,  the  gates 

Of  that  bright  Paradise  which  waits 

The  wise  in  looe.     Ah,  human  creatures  A 

Even  your  phantasies  are  teacliers.     ^^ 

Mighty  Love  makes  sweet  in  seeming ' 

Even  Krishna's  woodland  dreaming; 

Mighty  Love  sways  all  alike 

Frsm  sejf  tn  sfl^sanfat      Oh  J  Strike 

From,  your  eyesi7ie  veil,  and  see 

What  Love  willeth  him  to  be 

TF/to  in  error,  but  in  grace, 

Sittcth  with  that  lotus-face. 

And  tliose  eyes  whose  rays  of  heaven 

Unto  pTiantom-eyes  are  given; 

Holding  feasts  of  foolish  mirth 

With  these  Visions  of  the  earth; 

Learning  love,  and  love  imparting; 

Yet  with  sense  of  loss  upstarting: — } 

For  the  cloud  that  veils  the  fountains 

Underneath  the  Sandal  mountains. 


THE  INDIAN  SONG    OF  SONGS.  38 

How— as  if  the  tUTuhine  drete 

AU  it$  being  to  the  biu^— 

It  takes  flight,  and  seeks  to  rise 

High  into  the  purer  skie.i. 

High  into  the  snoie  and  frost. 

On  the  shining  summits  lost ! 

Ah  !  and  how  the  Kuils'  slniin 

Smites  tht'  trardler  with  p>iin, — 

When  the  mango  blooms  in  spring. 

And  "  K«)>hi)o,"  "  Koohoo,"  they  sing — 

Ihiin  of  i)Ua»ures  not  yet  won,    v 

Pain  ofjourm-ys  not  yet  done,     \ 

Pain  of  toiling  mthout  gaining,      \ 

Pain,  'mitt gladness,  of  stiU painingA 

But  may  lie  guide  us  all  to  glory  liigk 
Who  laughed  when  liudba  glided,  hidden,  by, 
And  all  among  thoec  damsels  free  and  bold 
Touehfd  Krishna  with  a  soft  mouth,  kind  and  cold; 
And  like  the  others,  leaning  on  his  breast. 
Unlike  the  others,  left  there  I^ove's  unrcstH 
And  like  tfic  others,  joining  in  bis  song, 
Unlike  the  others,  made  him  silent  long^ 

(Here  ends  that  Sarga  of  the  Oita  Oonnda  entitled 
Samodadauodaro.) 


TEE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 


SARGA  THE  SECOND. 


KLESHAKESHAVO. 

THE  PEOTTEXCE   OF  KRISHNA. 

Thus  lingered  Krishna  in  the  deep,  green  wood, 
And  gave  himself,  too  prodigal,  to  those; 
But  Radha,  heart-sick  at  Ms  falling-off, 
Seeing  her  heavenly  beauty  slighted  so, 
Withdrew;  and,  in  a  bower  of  Paradise— 
Where  nectarous  blossoms  wove  a  shrine  of  shade, 
Haunted  by  birds  and  bees  of  unknown  skies-^ 
She  sate  deep-sorrowful,  and  sang  this  strain, 

( What  followt  is  to  the  muiic  Gurjjaki  and  (he  Mode 
Yatl) 

Ah,  my  Beloved!  taken  with  those  glances. 
Ah,  my  Beloved!  dancing  those  rash  dances, 
Ah,  Minstrel!  playing  wrongful  strains  so  well; 

Ah,  Krishna!  Krishna,  with  the  honeyed  lip! 

Ah,  Wanderer  into  foolish  fellowship! 
My  Dancer,  my  Delight ! — I  love  thee  still.  \ 

O  Dancer!  strip  thy  peacock- crown  away. 
Rise!  thou  whose  forehead  is  the  star  of  day. 

With  beauty  for  its  silver  halo  set; 
Come!  thou  whose  greatness  gleams  beneath  its  shroud 
Like  Indra's  rainbow  shining  through  the  cloud — 

Come,  for  I  love  thee,  my  Beloved !  yet. 


THE  INDIAN  SONG   OF  SONOS.  35 

Must  love  thee — cannot  chooae  but  love  thee  over, 
My  best  Beloved— set  on  this  endeavor, 

To  win  thy  tender  heart  and  earnest  eye 
From  lii>8  but  sadly  sweet,  from  restless  Jjosoms, 
To  mine.  O  Krishna  with  the  mouth  of  blossoms) 

To  mine,  thou  soul  of  Krishna!  yet  I  sigh 

Half  hopeless,  thinking  of  myself  forsaken, 
And  thee,  dear  Loiterer,  in  the  wood  o'ertaken 

TVitli  passion  for  those  bold  and  wanton  onea. 
Who  knit  thine  arms  as  poison-plants  gripe  trces\ 
With  twining  cords — their  flowers  the  braveries^ 

That  flash  in  the  green  gloom,  sparkling  gauds  and 
stones. 

My  Prince!  my  Lotus- faced!  my  woe!  my  level  . 
Whose  broad  brow,  with  the  tilka-spot  above. 

Shames  the  bright  moon  at  full  with  fleck  of  cloud; 
Thou  to  mistake  so  little  for  so  much! 
Thou,  Krishna,  to  be  palm  to  palm  with  such! 

O  Soul  made  for  my  joys,  pure,  perfect,  proudi    * 

Ah,  my  Beloved!  in  thy  darkness  dear; 

Ah,  Dancer!  with  the  jewels  in  thine  ear. 

Swinging  to  music  of  a  loveless  love; 

0  my  Beloved!  in  thy  fall  so  high 
That  angels,  sages,  spirits  of  the  sky 

Linger  about  thee,  watching  in  the  grove. 

1  will  be  patient  still,  and  draw  thee  ever. 
My  one  Beloved,  sitting  by  the  river 

Under  the  thick  KadamlMis  with  that  throng: 
Will  there  not  come  an  end  to  earthly  madness; 
Shall  I  not,  past  the  sftrrow,  have  the  gladness? 

Must  not  tbo  love-light  shine  for  him  ere  luug? 


36  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRART. 

SUne,  thou  Light  by  Radha  given, 
Shine,  thou  splendid  star  of  heaven/ 
Be  a  lamp  to  Krishna's  feet, 
87u>w  to  aU  hearts  secrets  sweet. 
Of  the  wonder  and  the  lone 
Jayadev  hath  le-rit  above. 
Be  the  quick  Inteipreter 
Unto  irisesl  ears  of  her 
Who  always  sings  to  all,  "  I  wait. 
He  loteih  sttU  who  loveth  late." 

For  (sang  on  that  high  Lady  in  the  shade) 
My  soul  for  tenderness,  not  blame,  was  made; 

Mine  eyes  look  through  his  evil  to  his  good ; 
My  heart  coins  pleas  for  him;  my  fervent  thought 
Prevents  what  he  will  say  when  these  are  naught, 

And  that  which  I  am  shall  be  understood. 

Then  spake  she  to  her  maiden  wistfully— 

( What  follows  is  to  the  Mutic  Malavagachda  and  tJte  Mode 
EkatalI.) 

Go  to  him, — win  him  hither, — whisper  low 
How  he  may  lind  me  if  he  seartlRs  well; 

Say,  it  he  will — joys  past  his  hope  to  know 
Await  him  here;  go  now  to  him,  and  tell 

Where  Radha  is,  and  that  henceforth  she  charms 
His  spirit  to  her  arms. 

Yes,  go!  say,  if  he  will,  that  he  may  come — 
May  come,  my  love,  my  longing,  my  desirejy 

May  come  forgiven,  shriven,  to  me  his  home, 
And  make  his  happy  peace ;  nay,  and  aspire 

To  uplift  Radha's  veil,  and  learn  at  length 

What  love  is  in  its  strength. 


TUB  INDI^iN  SONG   OF  SOSGS. 

Lead  bim ;  say  softly  I  shall  cliide  his  blindness. 

And  vox  bim  with  my  augcrn;  yet  add  tbis, 
Ho  shall  not  vainly  sue  for  loving-kindness, 

Nor  miss  to  sec  me  close,  uor  lose  Ibo  bliss 
That  lives  upon  my  lip,  nor  be  denied 

The  rose-throue  at  my  side. 

Say  that  I— IJadha— in  my  bower  languish 
All  widowed,  till  he  find  the  wny  to  me; 

Say  that  mine  eyes  are  dim.  my  breast  all  anguish. 
Until  with  gentle  murmured  shame  I  see 

His  steps  come  near,  his  anxious  pleading  face 

Bend  for  my  pardoning  grace. 

While  I— what,  did  he  deem  light  love  so  tender, 
To  taj-ry  for  them  when  the  vow  was  made 

To  yield  him  up  ray  bosom's  maiden  spleudorj 
And  fold  him  in  my  fragntuco,  and  unbraid 

My  shining  hair  for  him,  and  cliu-ip  him  close 

To  the  gold  heart  of  his  Roflo, 

And  sing  him  strains  which  only  spirits  know, 
And  make  him  captive  with  the  silk-soft  chain 

Of  twinned-wiugs  brooding  round  bim,  and  bestow 
Kisses  of  Piintdl.-^c,  as  pure  as  rain; 

My  gems,  my  moonlight-pearls,  my  girdle-gold, 
Cymbaling  music  bold? 

While  gained  for  ever,  I  shall  dure  to  grow 
Life  to  life  with  him,  in  the  realms  divine; 

And — Love's  large  cup  at  happy  overflow. 
Yet  ever  to  be  fllle<l — his  eyes  and  mine 

Shall  meet  in  that  glad  look,  when  Time's  gre.il  gate 
Closes  and  shuts  out  Fate. 


88  TEE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

Listen  to  the  unmid  things 

Of  the  song  which  BadJia  siitgs. 

Fen-  the  soul  drains  near  to  bliss. 

As  it  coinprehendeth  this. 

I  am  Jayadev,  who  lerite 

All  this  subtle-rich  delight 

Mr  your  teaching.     Ponder,  then, 

J  hat  It  tells  to  Gods  and  men. 
r  not,  watching  Krishna  gay, 
Ith  those  broicn  girls  all  at  play; 
iderstand  ?u>u>  RadJia  charms  "^ 
ner  wandering  lover  to  her  arrm, 
i,Waiting  with  divinest  love 
\Till  his  dream  ends  in  the  grove. 

For  even  now  (she  sang)  I  see  him  pause, 
Heart-stricken  with  the  waste  of  heart  he  makes 

Amid  them; — all  the  bows  of  their  bent  brows 
Wound  him  no  more:  no  more  for  all  their  sakes 

Plays  he  one  note  upon  his  amorous  lut€, 

But  lets  the  strings  lie  mute. 

Pensive,  as  if  his  parted  lips  should  say — 

"  My  feet  with  the  danees  are  weary, 

The  music  has  dropped  from  the  song, 
There  is  no  more  delight  in  the  lute-strings, 

Sweet  Shadows!  what  thing  has  gone  wrong? 
The  wings  of  the  wind  have  left  fanning 

The  palms  of  the  glade ; 
They  are  dead,  and  the  blossoms  seem  dying 

In  the  place  where  we  played. 

•'  We  will  play  no  inore,  beaiit.ifii)  Shadows! 
A  fancy  came  solemn  and  sad, 


THE  INDIAN  SONO  OF  SO.VG^'.  29 

More  sweet,  witli  unspeakable  longings, 
Than  the  best  of  tlic  plea.surcs  we  had : 

I  mil  not  now  the  Krishna  who  kissed  yoUi 
That  exquisite  dream, — 

The  Vision  I  saw  in  my  dai\cin^ 
lias  spoiled  what  you  seem.    ( 

•  Ah!  delicate  phantoms  tjjal  cheated 

With  eyes  that  looked  lasting  and  true, 
I  awake,— I  have  seen  her,— my  iingi'l— 

Farewell  to  the  wood  and  to  you! 
Oh,  whisper  of  wonderful  pityl 

Oh,  fair  face  that  shone! 
Though  thou  be  a  vision,  Divinesl! 

This  vision  is  done." 

(Hen  end*  that  Sarga  of  the  Gita  dorinda  enlitUti  Klesh- 
dvo.) 


SAROA    TIIK   riUHD. 

MUGDHAMADHUSUDANO. 
KRISHNA    TROUBLKD. 

TnEBKAT,— as  one  who  welcomes  to  her  throne 
A  new-made  Queen,  and  brings  before  it  bound 
Her  enemies, —so  Krishna  in  his  heart 
Thmned  Radba;  and— all  trea-ionous  follies  chained- 
Ile  playe<l  no  more  with  those  first  playfellows: 
But,  searching  through  the  shadows  of  the  grove 
For  lovelii-st  lladha,— when  he  found  her  not 


30  .    THE  ELZBVm  LIBRAB7. 

Faint  with  tlie  quest,  despairing,  lonely,  lorn, 
And  pierced  with  shame  for  wasted  love  and  days. 
He  sate  by  Jumna,  where  the  canes  are  thick. 
And  sang  to  the  wood-echoes  words  like  these: 

( What  foUows  is   to  the  Music   Gctijjaki  and  the  Modt 

Yati.) 
Radha,  Enchantress  !  Radha,  queen  of  all ! 

Gone — lost,  because  she  found  me  sinning  here; 
And  I  so  stricken  with  my  foolish  fall, 
I  could  not  stay  her  out  of  shame  and  fear; 
She  will  not  hear; 
In  her  disdain  and  grief  vainly  I  call. 

And  if  she  heard,  what  would  she  do?  what  say  ? 

How  could  I  make  it  good  that  I  forgot? 
What  profit  was  it  to  me,  night  and  day,  ^^ 

To  live,  love,  dance,  and  dream,  havingher  not> 

Soul  without  spot  !>       -^    ^ 
I  wronged  thy  patience,  till  it  sighed  a^^g^ 

Sadly  I  see  the  truth.    Ah!  even  now 
Remembering  that  one  look  beside  the  river, 

Softer  the  vexed  eyes  seem,  and  the  proud  brow 
Than  lotus-leaves  when  the  bees  make  them  quiver. 
My  love  forever! 

Too  late  is  Krishna  wise — too  far  art  thou! 

Yet  all  day  long  in  my  deep  heart  I  woo  thee, 
And  all  night  long  with  thee  my  dreams  are  sweet; 

Why,  then,  so  vainly  must  my  steps  pursue  thee? 
Why  can  I  never  reach  thee  to  entreat, 
Low  at  thy  feet, 

Dear  vanished  Splendor!  till  my  tears  subdue  thee? 


THE  JJUDIAy  SONG   OF  SOM}f>. 

Surpassing  Oncl  I  know  thou  didst  not  brook 
Half -hearted  worsliip,  and  a  lovu  that  wavers; 

Iluhol  there  is  the  wisdom  I  mistook, 
Therefore  I  seek  with  desperate  eudeavors; 
That  fn^lt  diMi-scvers 

Me  from  my  heaven,  astray — coudcmuod — forsook  t 

And  yet  I  scera  to  feel,  to  know,  thee  near  me; 

Thy  steps  make  music,  measured  music,  near; 
Hadhal  my  Radha!  will  not  sorrow  clear  me? 

Shine  once!  sp>cak  one  word  pitiful  and  dcarl 
Wilt  thou  not  hear? 
Canst  thou— because  I  did  forget^for&ike  me? 

Forgive!  the  sin  is  sinned,  is  past,  is  over; 

No  thought  I  think  shall  do  thee  wrong  again ; 
Turn  thy  dark  eyes  again  upon  thy  lover, 

Bright  Spirit!  or  I  perisli  of  this  pain. 
Loving  again! 
In  dread  of  doom  to  love,  but  not  recover. 

So  did  Kruhna  ring  and  riyh 

By  the  rirtr-bank;  and  I, 

Jayade  t  of  Kindu  rllra , 

Iif»ting — at  tJte  moon  of  gUarr 

Sit*  upon  iht  tolemn  ocean — 

On  full  faith,  in  dtepdnotion; 

Ten  it  thai  ye  inay  i>erceice 

JIov  the  heart  mutt  fret  and  grieve; 

Ifnir  the  tout  doth  tire  of  rarlh, 

Whtn  the  U/re  from  Iltar'ii  hath  birt/f. 

For  (sang  he  on)  I  am  no  foe  of  tliine 
There  is  no  block  snake,  Kama!  in  my  boir 


83  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRABT. 

Blue  lotws-leaves,  and  not  the  poisoned  brine, 
Sliadow  my  neck;  what  stains  my  bosom  bare, 
Thou  God  unfair  I 
Is  sandaT-dust,  not  ashes;  nought  of  mine 

Makes  me  like  Shiva  that  thou,  Lord  of  Love! 

Shouldst  strain  thy  string  at  me  and  fit  thy  dart; 
This  world  is  thine — let  me  one  breast  thereof 

Which  bleeds  already,  wounded  to  the  heart 
With  lasting  smart. 
Shot  from  those  brows  that  did  my  sin  reprove. 

Thou  gavest  her  those  black  brows  for  a  bow\ 
Arched  like  thine  own,  whose  pointed  arrows  seem 

Her  glances,  and  the  underlids  that  go — 
So  firm  and  fine— its  string?    Ah,  fleeting  gleam  1 
Beautiful  dream  1 

Small  need  of  Kama's  help  hast  thou,  I  trow, 

To  smite  me  to  the  soul  with  love ; — but  set 
Those  aiTows  to  their  silken  cord!  enchain 

My  thoughts  in  that  loose  hair!  let  thy  lips,  wet 
With  dew  of  heaven  as  bimba-buds  with  rain, 
Bloom  precious  pain 

Of  longing  in  my  heart;  and,  keener  yet, 


So  sang  he.  and  I  pray  tTtot  whoso  hears 
The  m^tsic  of  his  burning  Iwpes  andfean 


THE  INDIAN  SONO   OF  BONGS. 

That  tehoto  teti  this  vition  by  the  Rner 
Of  Kriihna,  Hari,  (can  ue  name  him  eterf) 
And  mark*  hi»  ear-ring  rubier  stringing  tUne, 
Aa  he  tits  ttill,  un/ieedful,  bending  Una 
To  play  this  tune  upon  his  lutf,  while  all 
Listen  to  catch  the  Mdiuss  musical; 
And  Krishna  tcottelh  nought,  but.  with  set  face 
Turned  full  loicard  Badha't,  plays  on  in  that  pi 
May  all  such  souls — prays  Jayadtr — be  trise 
To  learn  the  wisdom  which  hereunder  lies. 

(Here  ends  tAat  Sarga  of  Oie  Geta  Govinda 

MUUDHAMADU'CBUD.OI'O.) 


SARGA  THE  FOURTH. 


SN IG  n  U  A.M  ADIIUSUD  ANO. 
KRISHNA  CHEERED. 

Then  she  whom  RnJba  sent  came  to  the  canes — 
The  caacs  beside  the  river  where  he  lay 
With  listlivss  limbs  ami  spirit  weak  from  love; — 
And  she  sang  this  to  Krishna  wistfully. 

{What  follotcs  is  to  the  Music  Karxata  and  the  Mode 
EkatalI.) 

Art  thou  sick  for  Radha?  she  is  sad  in  turn, 
Heaven  foregoes  its  blessings,  if  it  holds  not  thee; 

Ml  the  cooling  fragrance  of  sandal  she  doth  spurn, 
Moonlii;ht  makes  her  mournful  with  radiance  silvery; 


84  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

Even  the  southern  breeze  blown  fresh  from  pearly  seas. 

Seems  to  her  but  tainted  by  a  dolorous  brine; 
And  for  thy  sake  discontented,  with  a  great  love  over- 
laden. 
Her  soul  comes  here  beside  thee,  and  sitteth  down 
with  thine. 

Her  soul  comes  here  beside  thee,  and  tenderly  and  true 
It  weaves  a  subtle  mail  of  proof  to  ward  off  sin  and 
pain ;  > 

A^reastplate  soft  as  lotus-leaf,  with  holy  tears  for  dew, 
6^0  guard  thee  from  the  things  that  hurt;  and  then  'tis 
gone  again 
To  strew  a  blissful  place  with  the  richest  buds  that  grace 
Kama's  sweet  world,  a  meeting-spot  with  rose  and  jas- 
mine fair. 
For  the  hour  when,  well-contented,  with  a  love  no 

longer  troubled, 
Thou  Shalt  find  the  way  to  Radha,  and  finish  sorrows 
there. 

But  now  her  lovely  face  is  shadowed  by  her  fears; 
Her  glorious  eyes  are  veiled  and  dim  like  moonlight  in 
eclipse 
By  breaking  rain-clouds,  Krishna!  yet  she  paints  you  in 
her  tears 
With  tender  thoughts — not  Krishna,  but  brow  and 
breast  and  lips 
And  form  and  mien  a  King,  a  great  and  god -like  thing; 
And  then  witli  bended  head  she  asks  grace  from  the 
Love  Divine, 
To  keep  thee  discontented  with  the  phantoms  thou  for- 
swearest, 
Till  she  may  win  her  glory,  and  thou  be  raised  to  thioe. 


THE  INDIAN  SONb   OF  SONGS.  SS 

Softly  now  she  sayetli, 

"  Krishna,  Krishna,  como!" 
Lovingly  she  praycth, 

"  Fair  moon,  light  him  home." 
Yet  if  Ilari  helps  not. 

Moonlight  cannot  aid; 
Ah!  the  woeful  Radba! 

Ah!  the  forest  shade  I 

Ah!  if  Ilari  guide  not. 

Moonlight  is  as  gloom; 
Ah!  if  moonlight  help  not. 

How  shall  Krishna  come? 
Sad  for  Krishna  grieving 

In  the  dai^cncd  gVove; 
Sad  for  Rndha  weaving  .-  . 

Dreams  of  fruitless  love!\ 

Stnkt  toft  ttringt  to  this  toft  nuaturt, 
If  thine  ear  aouUl  catch  its  treature; 
Sloirly  dance  to  thit  deep  tong. 
Let  it*  nuaning float  along 
With  grate  paeet,  linee  it  t^ 
Of  a  lore  thai  nceetly  du:ell\ 
In  a  tender  distant  glory,       \ 
Past  allfaulti  of  mortal  ttori/^ 

(  What  foUowi  it  to  the  .Vusir  Deshaoa  and  tht  Mod* 
EkatalI.) 

Krishna,  till  thou  come  unto  her,  faint  she  lies  with  love 

and  fear! 
Even  the  jcwela  of  h«r  necklet  seem  a  load  too  great  t« 


86  THE  ELT^VIR  LIBRARY. 

Krishna,  till  thou  come  unto  her,  all  the  sandal  aud  the 

flowers 
Yes  her  with  their  pure  perfection  though  they  grow  in 

heavenly  bowers. 

Krishna,  till  thou  come  unto  her,  fair  albeit  those  bowers 

may  be, 
Passion  burns  her,  and  love's  fire  fevers  her  for  lack  of 

thee. 

Krishna,  till  thou  come  unto  her,  those  divine  lids,  dark 

and  tender. 
Droop  like  lotus-leaves  in  rain-storms,  dashed  and  heavy 

in  their  splendor. 

Krishna,  till  thou  come  unto  her,  that  rose-couch  which 

she  hath  spread 
Saddens  with  its  empty  place,  its  double  pillow  for  one 

head. 

Krishna,  till  thou  come  unto  her,  from  her  palms  she  will 

not  lift 
The  dark  face  hidden  deep  within  them  like  the  moon  in 

cloudy  rift. 

Krishna,  till  thou  come  unto  her,  angel  though  she  be, 

thy  Love 
Sighs  and  suffers,  waits  and  watches — ^joyless  'mid  those 

joys  above. 

Krishna,  till  thou  come  unto  her,  with  the  comfort  of  thy 
kiss 

eeper  than  thy  loss,  O  Krishna !  must  be  loss  of  Radha's 
bliss. 


Tllh:  IM>/A.\  SOAO    OF  SONOS.  87 

Krishna,  while  thou  didst  forget  Iicr — her,  thy  life,  thy 

gcntlo  fate — 
Wonderful  her  waiting  was,  her  pity  sweet,  her  patience 

great 

Krishna,  come:  'tis  grief  untold  to  grieve  her— shame  toV 
let  her  sigh ;  ^ 

Come,  for  alio  is  sick  with  love,  and  thou  her  only 
remedy. 

So  $fi«  tang,  and  Jat/adeva 

Pray  $  for  oil,  and  prays  for  ever, 

Tliot  Great  Ilari  may  besUno 

Utmott  biiss  of  lonng  so 

On  us  all; — that  one  who  vxre 

Iha  herdrman'sform,  and  heretofore, 

Tatave  the  thephercCs  threatened  flock. 

Up  from  the  earth  reared  the  huge  rock — 

Bestoa  it  teith  a  gradous  hand. 

Albeit,  amid  the  uoodland  band. 

Clinging  close  in  fond  caresses 

Krishna  gate  them  anient  kisses. 

Taking  on  his  lips  dicine 

Earthly  stamp  and  ipoodland  sign. 

(Here  end*  that  Sarga  of  the  Oita  Qovinda  entitled 

SSIODUAMADUt;SCDA>-0. 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 


SARGA  THE  FIFTH 


SAKANDKSHAPUNDAEIKAKSHO. 
THE  LONGINGS  OF  KRISHNA. 

"  Say  I  am  here!  oh,  if  she  pardons  me, 
Say  where  I  am,  and  win  her  softly  hither," 
So  Krishna  to  the  maid ;  and  willingly 
She  came  again  to  Radha,  and  she  sang 

{W?MtfoUow3  is  to  Vie  Music  DEsmTARADi  and  the  Mode 

RCPAKA.) 

Low  whispers  the  wind  from  Malaya 

Overladen  with  love; 
On  the  hills  all  the  grass  is  burned  yellow; 

And  the  trees  in  the  grove 
Droop  with  tendrils  that  mock  by  their  clinging 

The  thoughts  of  the  parted; 
And  there  lies,  sore-sighing  for  thee, 

Thy  love,  altered-hearted. 

To  him  the  moon's  icychill  silver 

Is  a  sun  at  midday; 
The  fever  he  burns  with  is  deeper 

Than  starlight  can  stay: 
Like  one  who  falls  stricken  by  arrows. 

With  the  color  departed 
From  all  but  his  red  wounds,  so  lies 

Thy  love,  bleeding-hearted. 


TUB  INDIAN  SONO   OF  SONOS. 

To  the  music  the  banded  bees  make  him 

He  closeth  his  car ; 
In  the  blossoms  their  small  bonis  are  blowing 

The  honey  song  clear; 
But  as  if  every  sting  to  his  bosom 

Its  smart  Itad  imparted, 
Low  lies  by  the  edge  of  the  river, 

Thy  love,  aching- hearted. 
By  the  edge  of  the  river,  far  wandered 

From  liis  once  tK'loved  bowers. 
And  the  haunts  of  his  beautiful  playmates, 

And  the  beds  strewn  with  flowers; 
Now  thy  name  is  his  playmate — lliat  only ! — 

And  the  hard  rocks  upstarted 
From  the  sand  make  the  couch  where  he  lies. 
Thy  Krishna,  sad  hearted. 

O/i  may  IlarifiU  each  toul. 
At  thete  gentle  teraet  roU 
TeUinrj  of  (Ke  anguith  bmrne 
By  kind  red  ones  asunder  torn  J 
Oh  may  Ilari  unto  each 
AU  the  lore  of  lon'ng  teach. 
All  the  pain  and  all  the  bU»t; 
Jayadcta  prayeth  thi$  ! 

Yea.  Lady!  in  the  self-same  spot  he  waits 
Where  with  thy  kiss  thou  tauglit'st  him  utmost  love, 
And  drew  him,  as  none  else  draws,  with  thy  look; 
And  all  day  long,  and  all  night  long,  his  cry 
Is  "  Radha,  Radha,"  like  a  spell  said  o'er; 
And  in  his  heart  there  lives  no  wish  nor  hope 
Save  only  this,  to  slake  his  spirit's  thirst 
For  lUdha'slove  on  Radha's  lips;  and  find 
J'eacc  in  the  immortal  Iwauty  of  thy  brow 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 


(What  follows  is  to  the  Music  GowjARi  and  the  Mode 

EKATiLl.) 

Mistress,  sweet  and  bright  and  holy! 

Meet  him  in  that  place; 
Change  his  cheerless  melancholy 

Into  joy  and  grace; 
If  thou  hast  forgiven,  vex  not; 

If  thou  lovest,  go; 
Watching  ever  by  the  river, 

Krishna  listens  low : 

Listens  low,  and  on  his  reed  there 

Softly  sounds  by  name. 
Making  even  mute  things  plead  there 

For  his  hope:  'tis  shame 
That,  while  winds  are  welcome  to  him, 

K  from  thee  they  blow, 
Mournful  ever  by  the  river 

Krishna  waits  thee  so! 

When  a  bird's  wing  stirs  the  roses, 

When  a  leaf  falls  dead, 
Twenty  times  he  recomposes 

The  flower-seat  he  has  spread: 
Twenty  times,  with  anxious  glances 

Seeking  thee  in  vain. 
Sighing  ever  by  the  river, 

Krishna  droops  again, 

Loosen  from  thy  foot  the  bangle. 

Lest  its  golden  bell. 
With  a  tiny,  tattling  jangle. 

Any  false  tale  tell: 


THE  INDIAN  SONG   OF  SONGS. 

If  thou  fcarcst  that  the  moonlight 

Will  thy  gl«d  face  know. 
Draw  tliosc  dark  braids  lower,  Lady! 

But  to  Krishua  go. 

Swift  and  still  as  lightoing's  splendor 

Let  thy  Ix'auly  come, 
Sudden,  gracious,  dazzling,  tender, 

To  his  arms — ita  home: 
Swift  as  Indra's yellow  lightning. 

Shining  through  the  night, 
Glide  to  Krishna's  lonely  bosom, 

Take  him  love  and  light. 

Grant,  at  lost,  love's  utmost  measure. 

Giving,  give  the  whole; 
Keep  back  nothing  of  the  treasuroA 

Of  thy  priceless  soul:  ) 

Hold  with  both  hands  out  unto  aim 

Thy  chalice,  let  him  drain 
The  nectar  of  iLx  dearest  draught. 

Till  not  a  wish  remain. 

Only  go — the  stars  arc  setting, 

And  thy  Krishiia  grieves; 
Doubt  and  anger  ciuitc  forgetting, 

Hasten  through  the  leaves: 
Wherefore  didst  thou  lead  him  heav'nward 

But  for  this  thing's  sake? 
Comfort  him  with  pity,  Uadhal 
Or  his  heart  must  break. 

But  irhil«  Jnyadtta  trrilfi 
Thi*  rare  taU  of  dtep  ikUgMt— 
Jayadef.  vhott  hmrt  u  yiwn 
Unto  Ilari,  Lord  in  Utaven— 


"h 


43  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

See  that  ye  too,  as  ye  read. 
With  a  glad  and  humble  heed. 
Bend  your  brows  before  His  fact. 
That  ye  may  have  bliss  and  grace. 

And  then  the  Maid, .compassionate,  sang  on— 

Lady,  most  sweet! 

For  thy  coming  feet 
He  listens  in  the  wood,  with  love  sore-tried; 

Faintly  sighing, 

Like  one  a-d}'ing. 
He  sends  his  thoughts  afoot  to  meet  his  ijride. 

Ah,  silent  one! 

Sunk  is  the  sun, 
The  darkness  falls  as  deep  as  Krishna's  sorrow; 

The  chakor's  strain 

Is  not  more  vain 
Than  mine,    and  soon  gray  dawn  will    bring    white 
morrow. 

And  thine  own  bliss 

Delays  by  this ; 
The  utmost  of  thy  heaven  comes  only  so 

When,  with  hearts  beating 

And  passionate  greeting, 
Parting  is  over,  and  the  parted  grow 

One — one  for  ever! 

And  the  old  endeavor 
To  be  so  blended  is  assuaged  at  last; 

And  the  glad  tears  raining 

Have  nought  remaining 
Of  doubt  or  'plaining;  and  the  dread  has  passed 


THE  INDIAN  BONO   OF  SONGS. 

Out  of  each  face, 

In  Uic  close  embrace, 
Thai  by-and  by  embracing  will  be  over; 

Tbc  ache  that  causes 

Those  mournful  pauses 
In  bowers  of  earth  belweea  lover  and  lover: 

To  be  no  more  felt, 

To  fade,  to  melt 
In  the  strong  certainty  of  joys  immortal; 

In  the  glad  meeting. 

And  quick  sweet  greeting 
Of  lips  that  close  beyond  Time's  shadowy  portal. 

And  to  thee  is  given. 

Angel  of  Heaven ! 
This  glory  and  this  joy  with  Krishna.     Go! 

Let  him  attain. 

For  his  long  pain. 
The  prize  it  promised, — see  thee  coming  slow. 

A  vision  first,  but  then-^ 

By  glade  and  gl«n — 
A  lovely,  loving  soul,  true  to  its  home; 

His  Queen — his  Crown — his  All, 

Ilast'ning  at  Inst  to  fall 
Upon  his  breast,  and  live  there.     Radba,  come  I 
Conuf  and  come  thou,  Lord  ofaU, 
Unto  tchom  the  Three  Worlds  call; 
Theu,  that  didtt  in  angry  might, 
Kama,  likt  a  comet,  unite  ; 
Thou,  that  in  thy  patiion  tender. 
An  incarnate  tpeU  and  tplendor. 
Hung  on  Itadfia't  gloriout  face — 
In  the  garb  ofKri$hna'»  i 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

As  above  the  bloom  the  bee, 
Wlien  tlie  honeyed  revelry 
Is  too  subtk-sweet  an  one 
Not  to  hang  and  dally  on  ; 
Thou  that  art  the  Three  Worlds'  glory 
Of  life  the  light,  oferery  story 
The  meaning  and  the  mark,  of  lote 
The  root  and  flower,  o'  the  sky  above 
The  blve,  of  bliss  the  heart,  of  those, 
T/ie  lovers,  that  -which  did  impose  . 
flhe  gentle  law,  that  each  should  be  \ 
\T?ie  other's  Heav'n  arid  harmony.   ) 
{Here  ends  that  Sarga  of  the  G-ita  Goeiiida  entitled 

SAKA2«)K8HAPUNDABIKAK8H0.  ) 


SARGA   TEE  SIXTH. 

DHEISHTAVAIKUNTO. 
KRISHNA  aiADE  BOLDER. 
But  seeing  that,  for  all  ber  loving  will, 
The  flower-soft  feet  of  Radha  had  not  power 
To  leave  their  place  and  go,  she  sped  again — 
That  maiden — and  to  Krishna's  eager  ears 
Told  how  it  fared  with  his  sweet  mistress  there. 

{What  follmos  is  to  the  Music  GoxDAKinf  and  the  Mode 

RUPAKA.) 

Krishna!  'tis  thou  must  come,  (she  sang) 
Ever  she  waits  thee  in  heavenly  bower; 

The  lotus  seeks  not  the  wandering-Gee,  ^. 
The  bee  must  find  the  flower.  1 


THE  INDIAN  SONO  OF  SONOS.  4; 

All  ibe  wood  over  her  deep  eyes  roam. 
Marvelling  sore  where  tarries  llie  bee, 

Who  leaves  such  lips  of  nectar  unsought 
As  those  that  blossom  for  thee. 

Her  steps  would  fail  if  she  tried  to  come. 
Would  falter  and  fail,  with  yearning  weak; 

At  the  first  of  the  road  they  would  falter  and  pauso, 
And  the  way  is  strange  to  seek. 

Find  her  where  she  is  sitting,  then. 
With  lotus-blossom  on  ankle  and  arm 

Wearing  thine  emWems,  and  musing  of  nought 
But  the  meeting  to  be — glad,  warm. 

To  be — "  but  wherefore  tarrietU  he?" 

"  What  can  stay  or  delay  him? — go! 
See  if  the  soul  of  Krishna  comes," 

Ten  times  she  sayeth  to  me  so; 

Ten  times  lost  in  a  languorous  swoon, 
"  Now  he  cometh — ho  comelh,"  she  cries; 

And  a  love-look  lights  her  eyes  in  the  gloom. 
And  the  darkness  is  sweet  with  her  sighs. 

Till,  watching  in  vain,  she  sinks  again 
Under  the  shade  of  the  whispering  leaves, 

With  a  heart  too  full  of  its  love  at  last 
To  heed  how  her  bosom  heaves. 

ShaU  not  thetefair  tertet  mmU 
The  number  of  the  iritf  icho  dieeU 
In  the  realm  of  Kama't  Mm/J 
Jayadet  prayeth  thit, 
Jaynder,  tAe  bant  of  Lote, 
Btnant  of  the  Godt  abovt. 


6  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRART. 

For  all  so  strong  in  Heaven  itself 
Is  Love,  that  Radha  sits  drooping  there, 

Her  beautiful  bosoms  panting  -with  thought, 
And  the  braids  drawn  back  from  her  ear. 

And — angel  albeit — ^her  rich  lips  breathe 
Sighs,  if  sighs  were  ever  so  sweet; 

And — (f  spirits  can  tremble — she  trembles  now 
From  forehead  to  jewelled  feet, 

And  her  voice  of  music  sinks  to  a  sob, 
And  her  eyes,  like  eyes  of  a  mated  roe. 

Are  tender  with  looks  of  yielded  love. 
With  dreams  dreamed  long  ago; 

Long — long  ago,  but  soon  to  grow  truth, 
To  end,  and  be  waking  and  certain  and  true: 

Of  which  dear  surety  murmur  her  lips, 
As  the  lips  of  sleepers  do : 

And,  dreaming,  she  loosens  her  girdle-pearls, 
And  opens  her  arms  to  the  empty  air, 

Then  starts,  if  a  leaf  of  the  champak  falls. 
Sighing,  "Oleaf!  is  he  there?" 

Why  dost  thou  linger  in  this  dull  spot, 
Haunted  by  serpents  and  evil  for  thee? 

Why  not  hasten  to  Nanda's  House?^ 
It  is  plain,  if  thine  eyes  could  see.    ' 


May  these  words  of  high  i 
Full  of  grace  and  gentle  favor — 
Find  out  those  whose  Jiearts  can  fed 
What  the  message  did  reveal. 


TUB  INDIAN  SONG   OF  SONGS. 

Words  that  Radha'i  mettenger 

Unto  KritliHa  took  from  her, 

Siotely  guiding  hint  to  eome 

Through  theforat  to  hi»  home. 

Guiding  him  to  find  the  road 

Which  ltd — though  long — to  Lore's  abode. 

(Here  tndt  that  S<irga  of  the  Gita  Gocinda 

DURianTATAIKUNTO. ) 


SAIiOA   THE  SEVENTH. 

VIPRALABDHAVARNANE 
NAGARANABAYANO. 
KRISHNA  SUPPOSED  FALSa 
Mka^timg  the  moon,  the  rolling  moon,  clomb  high. 
And  over  all  Vrin(14vana  it  shone; 
The  moon  which  on  the  front  of  gentle  night 
Gleams  like  tlie  chundun-mark  on  beauty's  brow; 
The  conscious  moon  which  hath  its  silver  face 
Marred  with  the  shamo  of  lighting  earthly  loves: 

And  while  the  round  white  lamp  of  earth  rose  higher. 
And  still  be  tarrieil,  Radlia,  petulant, 
Snng  soft  impatience  and  half-earnest  feara. 

(  W/uitfoOoiet  i»  to  the  ilutic  MIi^va  and  the  Mode  Y ATI. ) 
Tis  time!— he  comes  not!— will  he  come? 

Can  be  leave  nic  thus  to  pine? 
F<imi  hi  kam  »haranain  ! 

Abl  what  refuge  then  is  mine? 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

For  his  sake  I  sought  the  wood, 
Threaded  dark  and  devious  ways; 

Tami  he  Team  sharanam  ! 
Can  it  be  Krishna  betrays? 

Let  me  die  then,  and  forget 
Anguish,  patience,  Jiope,  and  fear; 

Yami  he  ham,  sharanam  f 
Ah,  whyjiave  I  held  him  dear? 

Ah,  this  soft  night  torments  me, 
^  Thinking  that  his  faithless  arms— 
\ami  he  kam  sharanam  ! — 
\  Clasp  some  shadow  of  my  charms. 

Fatal  shadow — foolish  mock! 
V   When  the  great  love  shone  confessed  ;■ 
Tami  he  kam  sharanam  ! 
Krishna's  lotus  loads  my  breast; 

'Tis  too  heavy,  lacking  him; 

Like  a  broken  flower  I  am— 
Necklets,  jewels,  what  are  ye? 

Yami  hi  kam  sharanam  ! 

Yami  he  kam  sharanam  ! 

The  sky  is  still,  the  forest  sleeps; 
Krishna  forgets — he  loves  no  more; 

He  fails  in  faith,  and  Radha  weeps. 

But  the  poet  Jayadcv — 
He  who  is  great  Hari's  slave. 
He  who  finds  asylum  sweet 
Ojily  at  great  Han's  feet; 
be  who  for  your  comfort  sings 
K.II  th's  to  the  Vina's  strings— 


THE  INDIAN  SONG   OF  SONUS.  49 

ft'rays  that  Radfut't  tender  moaiK 
[in  your  heart*  fto  thought  upon,  | 
'  And  that  all  her  holy  grate 
(Iak  there  lik«  the  loted  one's  fa^ 

Yet,  if  I  wrong  him  (sang  she)— can  lie  failt 
Could  any  in  the  wood  win  back  his  kisses? 

Could  any  softest  lips  of  earth  prevail 
To  hold  him  from  my  arms?  any  love-blissea 

Blind  him  once  more  to  mine?    O  Soul,  my  prize! 

Art  thou  not  merely  hindered  at  this  hour? 
Sore-wearied,  wandering,  lost?  how  otherwise 

Shouldst  thou  not  hasten  to  the  bridal-bower? 

But  seeing  far  away  that  Sfaiden  come 

Alone,  with  eyes  cast  down  and  lingering  steps. 

Again  a  little  while  she  feared  to  hear 

Of  Krishna  false ;  and  her  quick  thoughts  took  shape 

In  a  fine  jealousy,  with  words  like  these — 

Something  then  of  earth  has  held  him 

From  his  home  above. 
Some  one  of  those  slight  deceivers — 

Ah.  my  foolish  love  I 

Some  new  face,  some  winsome  playmate. 

With  her  hair  untied. 
And  the  blossoms  tangled  in  it, 

Woos  him  to  her  side. 

On  the  dark  orbs  of  her  liosom — 

Passionately  heaved — 
Sink  and  rise  the  warm,  white  pearl-strings. 

Ob,  my  love  deceived ! 


B  THE  ELZEVm  LIBRABY. 

Fair?  yes,  yes!  the  rippled  shadow 

Of  that  midnight  hair 
Shows  above  her  brow — as  clouds  do 

O'er  the  moon — most  fair: 

And  she  knows,  with  wilful  paces, 

How  to  make  her  zone 
Gleam  and  please  him;  and  her  ear-rings 

Tinkle  love ;  and  grown 

Coy  as  he  grows  fond,  she  meets  him 

With  a  modest  show ; 
Shaming  truth  with  truthful  seeming. 

While  her  laugh — light,  low — 

And  her  subtle  mouth  that  murmurs, 

And  her  silken  cheek. 
And  her  eyes,  say  she  dissembles 

Plain  as  speech  could  speak. 

Till  St  length,  a  fatal  victress, 

Of  her  triumph  vain. 
On  his  neck  she  lies  and  smiles  there: — 

Ah,  my  Joy! — my  Pain! 

Bxd  may  RadJia'afond  annoy. 
And  may  Krishna's  dawning  joy. 
Warm  and  waken  lore  more  fit — 
Jayadeta  prayeOi  it — 
And  the  griefs  and  sins  assuage 
Of  this  blind  and  evil  age. 

O  Moon !  (she  sang)  that  art  so  pure  and  pale. 
Is  Krishna  wan  like  thee  with  lonely  waiting? 

O  lamp  of  love  I  art  thou  the  lover's  friend, 
And  wilt  not  bring  him,  my  long  pain  abating? 


rUE  INDIAN  SONG    OF  BONOS. 


O  fruitless  moon!  thou  dost  iucrcaso  my  p»m; 
O  faithless  £ri£hiia!  I  have  strivcu  ia  vain. 

Ajid  then,  lost  iu  her  fancies  sad,  she  moaned — 


( What  foUotM  ia  to  the  Munc  GurjjxrI  and  the  Mode 
EkatalI.) 

In  vain,  in  vain! 
Earth  will  of  earth  I  I  mourn  more  than  I  blame; 

If  he  had  known,  he  would  not  sit  and  paint 
The  tilka  on  her  smooth  black  brow,  nor  claim 

Quick  idsscs  from  her  yielded  lips — false,  faint — 
False,  fragrant,  fatal !    Krishna's  quest  is  o'er 
By  Jumna's  shore! 

Vain — it  was  vain ! 
The  temptress  was  too  near,  the  heav'n  too  for; 

I  ctm  but  weep  because  ho  sits  ami  ties 
Garlands  of  flre-flowcrs  for  her  loosened  hair. 

And  in  its  silken  shadow  veils  his  eyes 
And  buries  his  fond  face.     Yet  1  forgave 
By  Jumna's  wave! 

Vainly!  nil  vain! 
Make  then  the  most  of  that  whereto  thou'rt  given. 

Feign  her  thy  Paradise— thy  Love  of  loves; 
Say  that  her  eyes  are  stars,  her  face  the  heaven, 

Her  bosoms  the  two  worlds,  with  sandal  groves 
FainVsccnted,  and  the  kiss  marks — ah,  thy  dream 
By  Jumna's  stream! 

It  shnll  l>e  vain! 
And  vain  to  string  the  emeralds  on  her  arm 
And  hang  the  milky  pearls  upon  her  neck. 


53  TEE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

Saying  they  are  not  jewels,  but  a  swarm 

Of  crowded,  glossy  bees,  come  there  to  suck 
The  rosebuds  of  her  breast,  the  sweetest  flowers 
Of  Jumna's  bowers. 

That  shall  be  vain! 
Nor  wilt  thou  so  believe  thine  own  blind  wooing, 

Nor  slake  thy  heart's  thirst  even  with  the  cup 
Which  at  the  last  she  brims  for  thee,  undoing 
Her  girdle  of  carved  gold,  and  yielding  up. 
Love's  uttermost:  brief  the  poor  gain  and  pride  \ 
By  Jumna's  tide  '' 

Because  still  vain 
Is  love  that  feeds  on  shadow;  vain,  as  thou  dost, 

To  look  so  deep  into  the  phantom  eyes 
For  that  which  lives  not  there ;  and  vain,  as  thou  must, 

To  marvel  why  thy  painted  pleasure  flies,  ^ 
When  the  fair,  false  wings  seemed  folded  for  ever 
By  Jumna's  river. 
And  vain !  yes,  vain ! 
For  me  too  is  it,  having  so  much  striven, 

To  see  this  fine  snare  take  thee,  and  thy  soul 
Which  should  have  climbed  to  mine,  and  shared  my 
heaven. 
Spent  on  a  lower  loveliness,  whose  whole 
Passion  of  love  were  but  a  parody 

Of  that  kept  here  for  thee. 
Ahaha!  vain! 
For  on  some  isle  of  Jumna's  silver  stream 

He  gives  all  that  they  ask  to  those  dull  eyes, 
While  mine  which  are  his  angel's,  mine  which  gleam 

With  light  that  might  have  led  him  to  the  skies— 
That  almost  led  him— are  eclipsed  with  tears 
Wailing  my  fruitless  prayers. 


TUS  INDIAN  SUSU   UF  HONUS.  53 

But  thou,  good  Friend, 
Hang  not  thy  head  for  shame,  nor  come  so  slowly, 

As  oQO  whose  message  is  too  hard  to  tell; 
If  Uiou  must  say  Krishna  is  forfeit  wholly— 

Wholly  forsworn  and  lost — let  the  grief  dwell 
iVhere  the  sin  doth,— except  in  tliis  sad  heart, 
Which  cannot  shun  its  part. 
0  grtat  Ilari  !  purge  from  wrong 
Tht  toul  of  him  who  torittt  this  tong; 
Purge  the  tout*  of  thote  that  read 
Prom  etery  fault  of  thought  and  deed; 
With  thy  blessed  light  assuage 
The  darkness  of  this  eril  age  ! 
Jayadev  the  bard  of  lore, 
Serrant  of  the  Oods  abore, 
Prays  it  for  himself  and  you — 
Qentle  liearts  u?io  listen  ! — too. 
Then  in  this  other  strain  she  wailed  his  loss  — 
(VniatfoUmcs  is  to  M^lfuniDESiLVVAltADt  and  the  Mode 

RUPAK-V.) 

She,  not  Radha,  wins  the  crown 

Whose  false  lips  were  dearest; 
What  was  distant  gain  to  him 

When  sweet  loss  stood  nearest? 
Love  her,  therefore,  lulled  to  loss 

On  her  fatal  bosom ; 
Love  her  with  such  love  as  she 

Can  give  back  in  the  blossom. 

Love  her,  O  thou  rash  lost  soul  I 

"With  thy  thousand  graces; 
Coin  rare  thoughts  into  fair  worda 

Vox  her  face  of  faces; 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRART. 

Praise  it,  fling  away  for  it 

Life's  purpose  in  a  sigh, 
All  for  those  lips  like  flower-leaves. 

And  lotus-dark  deep  eye. 

Nay,  and  thou  shall  be  happy  too 

Till  the  fond  dream  is  over; 
And  she  shall  taste  delight  to  hear 

The  wooing  of  her  lover; 
The  breeze  that  brings  the  sandal  up 

From  distant  green  Malay, 
Shall  seem  all  fragrance  in  the  night, 

All  coolness  in  the  day. 

The  crescent  moon  shall  seem  to  swim 

Only  that  she  may  see 
The  glad  eyes  of  my  Krishna  gleam, 

And  her  soft  glances  he; 
It  shall  be  as  a  silver  lamp 

Set  in  the  sky  to  show 
The  rose-leaf  palms  that  cling  and  clasp. 

And  the  breast  that  beats  below. 

The  thought  of  parting  shall  not  lie 

Cold  on  their  throbbing  lives, 
Tlie  dread  of  ending  shall  not  chill 

The  glow  beginning  gives; 
She  in  her  beauty  dark  shall  look — 

As  long  as  clouds  can  be — 
As  gracious  as  the  rain-time  cloud 

Kissing  the  shining  sea. 

And  he,  amid  his  playmates  old. 

At  least  a  little  while. 
Shall  not  breathe  forth  again  the  sigh 

That  spoils  the  song  and  smile; 


THE  INDIAN  SONG   OF  SONQS.  56 

Slinll  bo  left  wnolly  to  liis  choiccX 

Frco  for  his  pleusant  niii,  I 

With  the  goUlcn-girilled  tlamsols   \ 

Of  tho  bowers  I  found  him  in.    i 
For  mc,  liia  Angel,  only  ~ 

TUie  sorrow  and  Uic  smnrl. 
The  pale  prief  sitting  on  the  brow 

The  dead  hope  in  the  heart; 
For  me  the  loss  of  losing. 

For  me  the  iichc  and  dearth ; 
My  kiuj:  crowned  with  the  wood  flowers! 

My  fairest  upon  earth! 

Uari,  Lord  and  King  of  late! 
From  thy  throne  of  light  above 
Stoop  to  htlp  u*.  deign  it)  ttikt 
Our  spirilt  to  thee  fur  tlie  sake 
Ofthimong,  vhieh  »peak»  the  f ears 
Of  all  who  weep  with  liadlta's  tears. 

But  love  is  strong  to  pardon,  slow  to  part, 
And  still  the  Lady,  in  her  fancies,  sang— 

Wind  of  the  Indian  stream! 
A  little — oh!  a  little— brcntlie  once  more 
Tho  fragrance  like  Jiit  mouth's!  blow  from  thy  shore 
^  last  word  as  he  fades  into  a  dream; 
Boililcss  Lord  of  love  I 
Show  him  once  more  to  me  a  minute's  space, 
My  Krishna,  with  the  lovelook  in  his  face, 
And  then  I  come  to  ray  own  place  above; 
I  will  depart  and  give 
All  back  to  Fate  and  her  :  I  will  submit 
To  thy  stem  will,  and  bow  myself  to  it. 
Enduring  still,  though  desolato.  to  live 


6  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

If  it  indeed  be  life, 
Even  so  resigning,  to  sit  patience-mad, 
To  feel  the  zephyrs  burn,  the  sunlight  sad. 
The  peace  of  holy  heaven,  a  restless  strife. 

Haho]  -what  words  are  these? 
How  can  I  live  and  lose  him?  how  not  go 
Whither  love  draws  me  for  a  soul  loved  so? 
How  yet  endure  such  sorrow? — or  how  cease? 

Wind  of  the  Indian  wave! 
If  that  thou  canst,  blow  poison  here,  not  nard; 
God  of  the  five  shafts!  shoot  thy  sharpest  hard, 
And  kill  me,  Radha, — Radha  who  forgave! 

Or,  bitter  River, 
Yamtin!  be  Yama's  sister!  be  Death's  kin! 
Swell  thy  wave  up  to  me  and  gulf  me  in. 
Cooling  this  cruel,  burning  pain  forever. 

A7i  f  if  only  visions  stir 

Grief  so  passionate  in  her, 

WItat  divine  grief  will  riot  take. 

Spirits  in  heaven  for  the  sake 

Of  those  toho  miss  love  f     Oh,  be  vtite  ! 

Mark  this  story  of  the  skies;  ' 

Meditate  Oovinda  ever. 

Sitting  by  the  soared  river. 

The  mystic  stream,  which  o'er  his  feet 

Glides  sloto,  with  murmurs  low  and  Meet, 

Till  none  can  tell  whether  those  be 

Blue  lotus-blooms,  seen  veiledly  \ 

Under  the  wave,  or  mirrored  gems      \ 

Reflected,  from  the  diadems  1 


Tim  INDIAN  SONG  OF  SONOS. 

Bound  on  the  brows  of  mighty  Qodi, 
Who  lean  from  out  thi-ir  pure  abode*. 
And  UiiTf  their  briijht  fdieitiet 
To  ffuide  ffreiil  Kriihna  lo  his  $kie». 

(Here  ends  that  Sarga  of  the  (rial  Ootinda  eiUilled 

VlPRAU^UDUAVARNASE   NaOAKANARAYAHO.) 


SAIiOA  THE  EIGIITn. 


KHANDITAVARNANE 
VILAKSHALAKSHMIPATl. 

THE  REBUKING  OF  KRISHNA. 

For  when  the  weary  niglit  liiul  worn  away 
In  Uicsc  vain  fears,  and  Uic  clear  morning  broke, 
Lo,  Krishna!  lo,  the  longed-for  of  her  soul 
Came  too! — in  the  glad  light  he  came,  and  hoot 
His  knees,  and  clasped  bis  hands;  on  his  dumb  lips 
Fciir,  wonder,  joy,  passion,  and  reverence 
Strove  for  the  trembling  words,  and  liadha  knew 
Joy  won  for  him  and  her;  yet  none  the  less 
A  little  time  she  chided  him,  and  song, 

{WhatfolUnct  IS  to  the  Music  BnAmAvl  and  the  Mode 
Yati.) 

Krishna!— then  thou  hast  found  mel — and  thine  eyes 
Heavy  and  sad  and  stained,  an  if  with  weepingi 

Ah!  is  it  not  tliat  those  which  were  thy  prize 
So  radiant  seemed  that  all  night  thou  >^rt  keeping 


58  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBBART. 

Vigils  of  tender  wooing? — have  thy  Love! 

Here  is  no  place  for  vows  broken  in  making; 
Tliou  Lotus-eyed!  thou  soul  for  wliom  I  strove! 

Go!  ere  I  listen,  my  just  mind  forsaking. 

Krishna!  my  Krishna  with  the  woodland-wreath! 

beturn,  or  I  shall  soften  as  I  blame; 
TEe"while  thy  very  lips  are  dark  to  the  teeth 

With  dye  that  from  her  lids  and  lashes  came, 
Left  on  the  mouth  I  touched.     Fair  traitor!  go! 

Say  not  they  darkened,  lacking  food  and  sleep 
Long  waiting  for  my  face;  I  turn  it — -so — 

Go!  ere  I  half  believe  thee,  pleading  deep; 

But  wilt  thou  plead,  when,  like  a  love-verse  printed 

On  the  smooth  polish  of  an  emerald, 
I  see  the  marks  she  stamped,  the  kisses  dinted 

Large  lettered,  by  her  lips?  thy  speech  withheld 
Speaks  all  too  plainly;  go, — abide  thy  choice! 

If  thou  dost  stay,  I  shall  more  greatly  grieve  thee; 
Not  records  of  her  victory?— peace,  dear  voice! 

Hence  with  that  godlike  brow,  lest  I  believe  thee. 

For  dar'st  thou  feign  the  saflron  on  thy  bosom 
Was  not  implanted  in  disloyal  embrace? 

Or  that  this  many-colored  love-tree  blossom 
Shone  not,  but  yesternight,  above  her  face? 

Comest  thou  here,  so  late,  to  be  forgiven, 
O  thou,  in  whose  eyes  Truth  was  made  to  live? 

O  thou,  so  worthy  else  of  grace  and  heaven? 

0  thou,  so  nearly  won?    Erelforgive, 

Go,  Krishna!  go!— lest  I  should  think,  unwise. 

Thy  heart  not  false,  as  thy  long  lingering  seems. 
Lest,  seeing  myself  so  imaged  in  thine  eyes, 

1  shame  the  name  of  Pity — turn  to  dreams 


THE  INDIAN  tiOMi   oh    .-.DM,^.  59 

The  sacrwl  sound  of  vows;  make  Virtue  grudgo 
Iter  praise  to  Morcy,  culling  lliy  sins  light; 

Go  therefore,  dear  oITondcr!  go!  thy  Judge 
Had  best  not  sec  thee  to  give  sentence  right.* 
But  may  he  grant  us  peace  at  last  and  Uit» 
Who  htartl,—aiul  tmiltd  to  hear, — <ldays  tik«  this. 
Delay*  that  (iaUied  with  a  dream  come  true. 
Fond  wilful  angers;  for  Ote  maid  laughed  too 
To  see,  as  liadha  ended,  her  hand  take 
Ills  dark  robe  for  her  teil,  and  Kris/ma  make 
The  teord  she  spoke  for  parting  kindliest  sign 
He  should  not  go,  but  stay.     0  grace  ditine. 
Be  ours  loo  !    Jayadce,  the  Poet  of  love 
Prays  it  from  Uari,  lordliest  above. 
(Here  ends  that    Siirga    of  the  Gila    Oocinda  entitled 

Ku.OiDITAV.VUN  \NK.   Vl  lAKSlI  M.  VKSIIMIPATI.) 


6.UiOA  nil:-  MNTU. 


KALAIIANTAUITAVARNANE 
M  U  (}  D  H  A  M  U  K  U  N  D  O. 

THE  END  OB^  KlUSUNA'S  TRIAL. 
Yet  not  quite  did  the  doubts  t>f  liadha  die, 
Nor  her  sweet  brows  unbend;  but  she,  the  Maid- 
Knowing  her  heart  so  tender,  her  soft  arms 
Aching  to  take  him  in,  her  rich  mouth  sad 
For  the  coming  of  hui  kiss,  and  Ihcae  fears  falsa — 
Spake  yet  a  little  in  fair  words  like  these, 
•  The  »«rt  harw  In  oo«  cluMly 


60  THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

(What  follows  is  to  the  Music  GuKJJAiii  and  the  Mode 
Yati.) 

The  lesson  that  thy  faithful  love  has  taught  him 

He  has  heard ; 
The  wind  of  spring,  obeying  thee,  hath  brought  him 

At  thy  word ; 
What  joy  in  all  the  three  worlds  was  so  precious 

To  thy  mind? 
Md  kooroo  m&nini  mdnamayi* 

Ah,  be  kindl 

No  longer  from  his  earnest  eyes  conceal 

Thy  delights; 
Lift  thy  face,  and  let  the  jealous  veil  reveal 

All  his  rights; 
The  glory  of  thy  beauty  was  but  given 

For  content; 
Md  kooroo  mdnini  indnamayk, 

Oh,  relent! 

Rememf)er,  being  distant,  how  he  bore  thee 

In  his  heart; 
Look  on  him  sadly  turning  from  before  thee 

To  depart; 
Is  he  not  the  soul  thou  lovedst,  sitting  lonely 

In  the  wood? 
Md  kooroo  mdnini  mdnamayh, 

'Tis  not  good! 

He  who  grants  thee  high  delight  in  bridal-bower 

Pardons  long; 
What  the  gods  do  love  may  do  at  such  an  hour 

Without  wrong; 


My  proud  onel  do  not  indalge  in  scorn. 


TUB  INDIAN  soya    OF  SONGS.  61 

Why  weepcsl  Ibou?  why  kct-pcst  ihou  in  anger 

Thy  lashes  down? 
Md  kocroo  mdnini  indnamayi. 

Do  not  frown  I 

Lift  thine  eyes  now,  and  look  on  him,  Ijcstowing, 

Without  speech ; 
Let  him  pluck  at  last  the  flower  so  sweetly  growing 

In  his  reach ; 
The  fruit  of  lips,  of  loving  tones,  of  glances 

That  forgive; 
M&  hooroo  mdntni  mdnamayi. 

Let  him  live  I 

Let  him  speak  with  thee,  and  pray  to  Ihcc,  and  prove 
thee 

All  his  truth: 
Let  his  silent  loving  lamentation  move  thee 

^Vsking  ruUi: 
Dow  knowest  thou?    Ah,  listen,  dearest  Lady, 

lie  is  there; 
itd  hooroo  mdnini  nuinamay}. 

Thou  must  hear! 

O  rare  voice,  which  i»  a  tpcU 
Unto  all  on  iarlh  telio  dwell ! 
0  rich  Toiec  of  rapturous  lore, 
Making  melody  abort ! 
Krithna't,  IlarCt — one  in  tteo, 
Sound  that  mortal  rcrt<»  through  ! 
Sound  like  that  $oft  flute  tehich  madt 
Such  a  magic  in  the  thade — 
CtUUng  deer-cynl  mai'laui  nigh. 
Waking  with  atul  itirring  tigh, 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBBARY. 

Thrilling  blood  and  melting  breasts, 
WIdspering  love's  divine  unrests, 
Winning  blessings  to  descend, 
Bringing  earthly  ills  to  end; — 
Be  tlum  heard  in  this  song  noio 
Thou,  the  great  Enchantment,  thou  ! 

ve  ends  that   Sarga  of  the   Gita    Gomnda    entitled 
Kalahaktakitata^naue  Mugdhamukundo.) 


SARGA  THE  TENTH. 


MANINIVARNANE 
CHATURACHATUEBHUJO. 

KRISHNA  USr  PARADISE. 

Bdt  she,  abasing  still  her  glorious  eyes, 

And  stUl  not  yielding  all  her  face  to  him, 

Relented,  till  with  softer  upturned  look 

She  smiled,  while  the  Maid  pleaded ;  so  thereat 

Came  Krishna  nearer,  and  his  eager  lips 

Mixed  sighs  with  words  in  this  fond  song  he  sang, 

[What  follows  is  to  the  Music  DESmTAVAKADi  and  the 
Mode  AsHTATAi,!.) 

O  angel  of  my  hope!  O  my  heart's  home! 

My  fear  is  lost  in  love,  my  love  in  fear; 
This  bids  me  trust  my  burning  wish,  and  come, 

That  checks  me  with  its  memories,  drawing  near: 
Lift  up  thy  look,  and  let  the  thing  it  saith 
End  fear  with  grace,  or  darken  love  to  death. 


TllK  iMJlAi\  S0^■0    OF  80N0S.  68 

Or  only  speak  once  more,  for  thougli  thou  slay  me, 
Tliy  beuveiily  mouth  must  move,  and  I  shall  hear 

Dulcet  delights  of  i)erfect  music  sway  me 
Again — again  that  voice  so  blest  and  dear; 

Sweet  Judge!  the  prisoner  prayctli  for  his  doom 

That  he  may  hear  his  fate  divinely  come. 

Sjicak  onre  more!  then  thou  canst  not  choose  but  show 
Thy  mouth's  impantllelcd  and  honeyed  wonder 

Where,  like  pearls  hid  in  retllippcd  shells,  the  row 
Of  pearly  teeth  thy  rosered  lips  lie  under; 

Ah  nu'!  I  am  that  bird  that  woos  the  moon. 

And  pipes — p<ior  fool!  to  make  it  glitter  soon. 

Vit  hear  me  on — because  I  cannot  stay 
The  passion  of  my  soul,  because  my  gladness 

Will  pour  forth  from  my  heart,— since  that  far  day 
When  throuih  the  mist  of  all  my  sin  and  sadness 

Thou  did<t  vouchsafe — Surpassing  One! — to  break. 

All  else  I  slighted  for  thy  noblest  sake. 

Thou,  thou  hast  been  my  blood,  my  breath,  my  being; 

The  pearl  to  plunge  for  in  the  sea  of  life; 
The  sight  to  strain  for,  past  the  bounds  of  seeing; 

The  victory  to  win  through  longest  strife; 
My  Queen!  my  crowned  Jlistrcss!  my  sphered  bride  I 
Take  thid  for  truth,  that  what  I  say  beside 

'  )f  bold  love— grown  full-orbed  at  sight  of  thee— 
May  be  forgiven  with  a  quick  remission; 
r.  thou  divine  fulfilment  of  all  lioiic! 
riinii  ull'Undreamed  completion  of  the  vision! 
I  tr  I/'  upon  thy  beauty,  and  my  fear 
I'it>.'>t  s  ^.-i  clouds  do,  when  the  moon  shinea  clear. 


64  THE  ELZEYIB  LIBRAHr. 

So  if  thou'rt  angiy  still,  this  shall  avail, 

Look  straight  at  me,  and  let  thy  bright  glance  wound 
me; 
Fetter  me!  gyve  me!  lock  me  in  the  gaol 

Of  thy  delicious  arms;  make  fast  around  me 
The  silk-soft  manacles  of  wrists  and  hands. 
Then  kill  me!  I  shall  never  break  those  bands. 

The  starlight  jewels  flashing  on  thy  breast 
Have  not  my  right  to  hear  th}'  beating  heart; 

The  happy  jasmine-buds  that  clasp  thy  waist 
Are  soft  usurpers  of  ray  place  and  part; 

If  that  fair  girdle  only  there  must  shine, 

Give  me  the  girdle's  life — the  girdle  mine! 

Thy  brow  like  smooth  Bandhflka-leaves;  thy  cheek 
Which  the  dark-tinted  Madhuk's  velvet  shows; 

Thy  long-lashed  Lotus  eyes,  lustrous  and  meek; 
Thy  nose  a  Tila-bud;  thy  teeth  like  rows 

Of  Kunda-petals!  he  who  pierceth  hearts 

Points  with  thy  loveliness  all  five  darts. 

But  Radiant,  Perfect,  Sweet,  Supreme,  forgivel 
My  heart  is  wise — my  tongue  is  foolish  still: 

I  know  where  I  am  come — I  know  I  live — 
I  know  that  thou  art  Rjidha — that  this  will 

Last  and  be  heaven:  that  I  have  leave  to  rise 

Up  from  thy  feet,  and  look  into  thine  eyes! 

And,  nearer  coming,  I  ask  for  grace 
Now  that  the  blest  eyes  turn  to  mine; 

Faithful  I  stand  in  this  sacred  place 
Since  first  I  saw  them  shine; 

Dearest  glory  that  stills  my  voice. 
Beauty  unseen,  unknown,  unthoughtl 

Splendor  of  love,  in  whose  sweet  light 


THE  I2a)IAN  SONG    OF  80N0S.  66 

Darkness  U  post  and  nought ; 
Ah,  twyond  words  that  sound  on  earth, 

Qoldcu  bloom  of  the  gankn  of  heaven  I 
Itadha,  cncliantrcss!  Rudha,  the  quccnl 

Bu  this  trespass  forgiven — 
Id  that  I  dare,  with  courage  too  much 

And  a  heart  afraid, — so  bold  it  is  grown — 
To  hold  thy  hand  with  a  bridegroom's  touch, 
And  take  thee  for  miuo,  mine  own.* 
So  thty  Viet  and  to  they  ended 
Pain  and  jtarting,  being  blended 
Life  witfi  life — made  one  for  ever 
In  high  lore ;  and  Jayoileva 
Uatteneth  on  to  close  the  story 
Of  their  bridal  grace  and  glory. 
(Here   ends   that  Sarga  of  the   OUa    Ooriuda   entitled 
Uamimvaiuiakk  Chatcrachaturbiidjo.) 


SARGA  THE  ELEVENTH. 

RADniKAMILANE 
SANANDADAMODARO. 

THE  UNION  OF  UADHA  AND  KRISHNA. 
Thus  followed  soft  and  laating  peace,  and  griefs 
Died  while  she  listened  to  his  tender  tongue, 
Her  eyes  of  antelope  alight  with  love; 
And  while  he  led  the  way  to  the  bride-bower 
The  maidens  of  her  train  adorned  her  fair 
With  golden  marriagc-cloUis,  and  sang  this  song, 
*  Much  hero  alw  Is  neccsMkrily  paraphrased. 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 


( What  follows  is  to  the  Music  Vasakta  aiid  the  Mode 
Yati.) 

Follow,  happy  Radha!  follow,— 

In  the  quiet  falling  twilight — 
The  steps  of  him  who  followed  thee 

So  steadfastly  and  far; 
Let  us  bring  thee  where  the  Banjulas 

Have  spread  a  roof  of  crimson, 
Lit  up  by  many  a  marriage-lamp 

Of  planet,  sun,  and  star: 
For  the  hours  of  doubt  are  over, 

And  thy  glad  and  faithful  lover 
Hath  found  the  road  by  tears  and  prayers 

To  thy  divinest  side; 
And  thou  wilt  not  now  deny  hiift^ 

One  delight  of  all  thy  beauty,     I 
But  yield  up  open-hearted 

His  pearl,  his  prize,  his  bride.    I 


Oh,  follow!  while  we  fill  the  air 

With  songs  and  softest  music; 
Lauding  thy  wedded  loveliness, 

Dear  Mistress  past  compare! 
For  there  is  not  any  splendor 

Of  Apsarasas  immortal- 
No  glory  of  their  beauty  rich — 

But  Radha  has  a  share; 
Oh,  follow!  while  we  sing  the  song 

That  fills  the  worlds  with  longing, 
The  music  of  the  Lord  of  love 

Who  melts  all  hearts  with  bliss; 


THE  INDIAN  SONG   OF  80N0S. 

For  now  is  born  the  gladness 
That  springs  from  mnrtnl  sadness, 

And  all  soft  thoughts  and  things  and  hopes 
Were  presages  of  this. 


Then,  follow,  happiest  Lady ! 

Follow  him  thou  lovest  wholly; 
The  hour  is  come  to  follow  now 

The  soul  thy  spells  have  led; 
His  are  thy  breasts  like  jasper-cups, 

And  his  thine  eyes  like  planets; 
Thy  fragrant  hair,  tliy  stately  neck. 

Thy  queenly  sumptuous  head; 
Thy  soft  small  feet,  thy  perfect  lips. 

Thy  teeth  like  jasmine  petals. 
Thy  gleaming  rounded  shoulders, 

And  long  caressing  arms, 
Being  thine  to  give,  are  his;  and  his 

The  twin  strings  of  thy  girdle. 
And  his  the  priceless  treasure 

Of  thine  utter-sweetest  charms. 

So  fuUow !  while  the  flowers  break  forth 

In  white  and  amber  clusters. 
At  the  breath  of  thy  pure  presence, 

And  the  radiance  on  thy  brow; 
Oh,  follow  where  the  Asokas  wave 

Their  sprays  of  gold  and  purple. 
As  if  to  beckon  thee  the  way 

Th»t  Krishna  passed  but  now; 
He  is  gone  a  little  forward! 

Though  thy  steps  are  faint  for  pleasure. 
Let  him  bear  the  tattling  ripple 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 

Of  the  bangles  round  tliy  feet; 
Moving  slowlj'  o'er  the  blossoms 

On  the  path  which  he  has  shown  thee. 
That  when  he  turns  to  listen 

It  may  make  his  fond  heart  beat. 
And  loose  thy  jewelled  girdle 

A  little,  that  its  rubies 
May  tinkle  softest  music  too, 
And  whisper  thou  art  near; 
Though  now,  if  in  the  forest 

Thou  should'st  bend  one  blade  of  Kusha 

With  silken  touch  of  passing  foot, 

His  heart  would  know  and  hear; 

Would  hear  the  wood-buds  saying, 

"  It  is  Radha's  foot  that  passes;" 

Would  hear  the  wind  sigh  love-sick, 

"It  is  Radha's  fragrance,  this;" 
Would  hear  thine  own  heart  beating 

Within  thy  panting  bosom, 
And  know  thee  coming,  coming, 
His— ever,— ever— his ! 
"  Mine!"— haxW  we  are  near  enough  for  hearing- 

"  Soon  she  teUl  come — she  will  smile — she  will  say 
Honey-sweet  words  of  heavenly  endearing; 
0  soul !  listen ;  my  Bride  is  on  her  way!" 
Hear'st  him  not,  my  Radha? 

Lo,  night  bendeth  o'er  thee — 
Darker  than  dark  Tamala-leaves— 

To  list  thy  mamage-song ; 
Dark  as  the  touchstone  that  tries  gold. 

And  see  now — on  before  thee — 
Those  lines  of  tender  light  that  creep 
The  clouded  sky  along: 


TUB  ISDIA^  SONG   OF  SOA'OS.  6 

\' 
O  night!  tlmt  tricth  gold  of  lovfl. 

This  love  id  proven  perfect  1  » 
O  lines  that  streak  the  touchstone  sky, 

Flash  forth  true  shining  gold  I 
O  rose-leaf  feet,  go  boldly  I 

O  night!— that  lovest  lovers— 
Thy  softest  robe  of  silence 

About  these  briilals  fold! 

Sec  St  thou  not,  my  Radha? 

Lo,  the  night,  thy  bridesmaid, 
Comes!- her  eyes  thick-painted 

With  soorma  of  the  gloom— 
The  night  that  oinds  the  planet-worlds 

For  jewels  on  her  forehead. 
And  for  emblem  and  for  garland 

Loves  the  blue-black  lotus-bloom; 
The  night  that  scents  her  breath  so  sweet 

Willi  cool  and  musky  odors, 
.  •    That  joys  to  spread  her  veil  of  shodo 

Over  the  limtu  of  love; 
And  when,  with  loving  weary, 

Yet  dreaming  love,  they  slumber, 
Sets  the  far  stars  for  silver  lamps 

To  light  them  from  above. 

80  came  she  where  he  stood,  awaiting  her 

At  the  Ixjwer's  entry,  like  a  god  to  sec, 

With  marriage-gladness  and  the  grace  of  heaven. 

The  great  pearl  set  upon  his  glorious  head 

Shone  like  a  moon  among  the  leaves,  and  shone 

Like  stars  the  gems  that  kept  her  gold  gown  close: 

But  still  a  little  while  she  paused— abashed 

At  her  delight,  of  her  deep  joy  afmid — 

And  they  UuU  tended  her  sang  oucc  more  this, 


THE  ELZEVIR  LIBRARY. 


{WhatfoUows  is  to  the  Music  Varadi  and  the  Mode 

RUPAKA.) 

Eater,  thrice-happy!  enter,  thrice-desired  1 
And  let  the  gates  of  Hari  shut  thee  in 
With  the  soul  destined  to  thee  from  of  old. 

Tremble  not!  lay  thy  lovely  shame  aside; 

Lay  it  aside  with  thine  unfastened  zone, 

And  love  him  with  the  love  that  knows  not  fear; 

Because  it  fears  not  change ;  enter  thou  in, 
Flower  of  all  sweet  and  stainless  womanhood! 
For  ever  to  grow  bright,  for  ever  new; 

Enter  beneath  the  flowers,  O  flower-fair! 

Beneath  these  tendrils,  Loveliest  I  that  entwine 

And  clasp,  and  wreathe  and  cling,  with  kissing  stems 

Enter,  with  tender-blowing  airs  of  heaven 
Soft  as  love's  breath  and  gentle  as  the  tones 
Of  lover's  whispers,  when  the  lips  come  close: 

Enter  the  house  of  Love,  O  loveliest! 
Enter  the  marriage-bower,  most  beautiful! 
And  take  and  give  the  joy  that  Hari  grants. 

Thy  heart  has  entered,  let  thy  feet  go  too! 
Lo,  Krishna!  lo,  the  one  that  thirsts  for  thee! 
Give  him  the  drink  of  amrit  from  thy  lips. 

Then  she,  no  more  delaying,  entered  straight; 

Her  step  a  little  faltered,  but  her  face 

Shone  with  unutterable  quick  love;  and — while 


THE  IXDIAN  SOA'G   OF  SONGS. 

The  music  of  her  bniiglcs  passed  the  porch—  \ 

Shame,  which  had  liuj;cred  in  her  downmiit  nyna     j 
Departed  shamed  *  .  .  .^nd  like  llie  mighty  deep. 
Which  sees  the  moon  imd  rises,  all  his  life 
Uprose  to  drink  her  beams. 

{Bert  end*  that  Sarga  of  the  Gila  OoHnda  entilM 
Raohikamii^^ne  Sanandadamodako.) 

Hari  keep  you!    He  whose  might. 

On  the  King  of  SerpeuU  seated. 
Flashes  forth  in  dazzling  light 

From  the  Gnat  Snake's  gems  repeated: 
Hari  keep  you!     He  whose  graces. 

Manifold  in  majesty, — 
Multiplied  in  heavenly  places — 

Multiply  on  earth— to  see 
Better  with  a  hundred  eyes 

Her  bright  charms  who  by  him  lies. 

What  $kHl  may  be  in  ringing. 

What  wonhip  tound  in  tong. 
What  lore  be  taught  in  Umng, 

What  Tight  divined  from  tcrong  : 
Such  thingt  hath  Jayadera — 
In  Ihit  hit  Hymn  of  Loi\e, 
Which  laud*  Oovinda  eter, — 
Displayed;  tnay  all  approve/ 

■  Uil*  complete  aoUclpaUoii  (mlajjd  l<^jJ^lp{}  of  the  line— 
••  I'pon  whoae  brow  ahune  ia  ashamed  to  alt " 


I'EARLS  OF  THE  FAITH 

OB 

ISLAM'S  Rosary 


IIEING 

THK  XINm-XIXE  HEAUTIKIIE  NA.MliS  Ol-  AI.I.AII 

(ASMA-EL-IIUS.NA) 
With  CommtnU   In  Vera«    from  Tarions  Oriental    Bonicta 

(AS  MAOB   BY  AM   IMUIAN   Mt'SSUUIAN) 


EDWIN    ARNOLD,    C.S.I. 

AtlTHOU    OF    "THK    LIOHT    OF    ASIA";       "THK    INDIAN 

SONil   OP   «OKi;^<":    KTC, 


AlUli  hath  }ffisl  (Tcoelli'nt  nnnios,  thfrefnro  c«U  upon  Him  hy 
itMsiOid.'    KorAti,  cb.  tU.    "^I  AarlJ  " 


NKW    YiiUK 

JOHN     B.    A.LDEN'.    PUBLISHEU 


PEARLS   OF   THE    FAIT?. 


PREFACE. 


It  is  a  custom  of  many  pious  Muslims  to  cmploj  in 
their  devotioni  a  tlirec-stringed  chaplel.  each  string  con- 
taining thirty-three  beads,  and  each  bead  representing 
one  of  the  "ninety-nine  beautiful  names  of  Allah," 
whenever  this — among  many  other  religious  uses — is 
made  of  it.  The  Koriiu  bids  them  "celebrate  Allah 
with  an  abundant  celebration."  and  on  certain  occasions 
— such  as  during  the  intervals  of  the  Tariiwih  night 
service  in  Ramadh&n — the  Faithful  pass  these  ninety- 
nine  beads  of  the  rosary  through  their  lingers,  repeating 
with  each  "  Name  of  Qod  "an  ejaculation  of  praise  and 
worship.  Such  an  exercise  is  called  Zikr,  or  "remem- 
brance." and  the  rosary  Matba'hah. 

In  the  following  pages  of  varied  verse  I  have  enumer- 
ated the.se  ninety-nine  "  beautiful  names,"  and  appended 
to  each— from  the  point  of  view  of  an  Indian  Moham- 
medan— some  illustrative  legend,  tradition,  record,  or 
comment,  drawn  from  diverse  Oriental  sources;  occa- 
sionally paraphrasing  (as  closely  as  possible)  from  tlie 
text  of  the  Kor&n  itself,  any  particular  passage  contain- 
ing the  sacred  Title,  or  casting  light  upon  it.  In  this 
way  it  seemed  possible  to  present  the  general  spirit  of 
Islitm  under  a  new  and  not  unacceptable  form ;  since 
almost  every  religious  idea  of  the  KorAn  comes  up  in 


4  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

the  long  catalogue  of  attributives.  Tender,  as  well  as 
terrible;  lofty  in  morality,  albeit  grim  and  stern  in 
dogma,  the  ' '  Perspicuous  Book"  is  still,  and  must  al- 
ways be,  replete  with  interest  for  Christendom,  since,  if 
IslSm  was  born  in  the  Desert,  with  Arab  Sabsanism  for 
its  mother  and  Judaism  for  its  father,  its  foster-niirse 
was  Eastern  Christianity,  and  Muhammad's  attitude  to- 
wards Christ,  and  towards  the  religion  which  bears  His 
name,  is  ever  one  of  profound  reverence  and  grateful 
recognition.  Nor  are  the  differences  between  the  older 
and  younger  creed  really  so  great  as  their  similitudes  in 
certain  aspects.  The  soul  of  Islam  is  its  declaration  of 
the  unity  of  God :  its  heart  is  the  inculcation  of  an  ab- 
solute resignation  to  His  will.  Not  more  sublime,  there- 
fore, in  religious  history  appears  the  figure  of  Paul  the 
tent-maker,  proclaiming  the  ' '  Unknown  God  "  at  Athens, 
than  that  of  the  camel-driver  Muhammad,  son  of  Abdal- 
lah  and  Amlnah,  abolishing  all  the  idols  of  the  Arabian 
Pantheon,  except  their  chief— Allah  Ta'Alah,  "God 
the  Most  High" — and  under  that  ancient  and  well- 
received  appellation  establishing  the  oneness  of  the 
origin,  government,  and  life  of  the  universe.  Thereby 
that  marvellous  and  gifted  Teacher  created  a  vast 
empire  of  new  belief  and  new  civilization,  and  prepared 
a  sixth  part  of  humanity  for  the  developments  and  rec- 
onciliations which  later  times  will  bring.  For  Islam 
must  be  conciliated;  it  cannot  be  thrust  scornfully  aside 
or  rooted  out.  It  shares  the  task  of  the  education  of 
the  world  with  its  sister  religions,  and  it  will  contribute 
its  eventual  portion  to 


Composed  amid  Scotch  mountaius  during   a  brief 


PREFACE.  6 

summer-rest  from  politics,  ami  with  no  library  near  at 
hand  for  references,  my  book  lias  need  to  ask  indul- 
gence from  the  learned.  It  docs  but  aim,  however,  to 
suggest  (in  poetic  form)  justcr  thoughts  than  sometimes 
prevail  of  Islam,  of  its  founder,  and  of  its  volarien;  em- 
ploying the  language  of  one  amoui;  them,  and  thinking 
with  his  thoughts,  since  this  alone  jiermits  the  necessary 
sjrmpathy. 

I  have  thus  at  length  finished  the  Oriental  Trilogy 
which  I  designed.  In  my  "  Indian  Song  of  Songs"  I 
sought  to  transfer  to  English  poetiy  a  subtle  and  lovely 
Sanskrit  Idyll  of  the  Hindoo  theology.  In  my  "Light 
of  Asia"  I  related  the  story  and  displayed  the  gentle  and 
far-reaching  doctrines  of  that  great  Ilindoo  prince  who 
founded  Buddhism.  I  have  tried  to  present  here,  in  Iho 
'simple,  familiar,  and  credulous,'  but  earnest  spirit  and 
manner  of  Islfim — and  from  its  own  points  of  view — 
some  of  the  IhoughU  and  beliefs  of  the  followers  of  the 
noble  Prophet  of  Arabia. 

Edwin  Arnou>,  C.S.L 

OLCXaYUC,  PBKTnHOIRE.  Scutul»>, 
Sei>tcmber,lSSi. 


CONTENTS. 


3.  ArRaheem  . 


n 


"Thellereiful"  

CThe  Sinful  Angels.) 
"TheOompaasionate" — 
(Solomon  and  the  Ant.) 

"The  King  of  Kings" H 

(The  Sultan  and  Uie  Potter.) 

••The  Holy  One" « 

(Qod's  Nome  tn  Heaven.) 

"  The  Peace" >* 

(The  Peace  of  Paradiae.) 

"The  Faithful" ^ 

(The  Verity  of  Sayid.) 

Al-Muhaimin "  The  Help  in  Peril  " » 

(The  Spider  and  the  Dove.) 

AlHathim "The  Mighty" S» 

(The  Throne- Verse.) 

AlJabbdr "The  All-Oompelllng" 88 

(Sura  to.) 

At-Uutakabbir "TheMalesOc" >« 

(Aiar  and  Abraham.) 

Al-Khalik. "ThfCreator" » 

(Signs  of  the  Lord.) 

,  Al-B<ui "The  Artificer" 87 

(Angels'  WlngB.) 

Al-3liiinwwir "  The  Fashioner" 88 

(The  Uaktng  of  Man.) 

.  AtaiiaffAr ••TheFontiver" « 

(Abraham's  Offence.) 

AlKaUtAr "The  Dominant" « 

(Sura  "  Of  the  CUtle.") 


17.  AUWahhdb "  The  Bestower" 44 

(Ali  and  the  Angels.) 
IS.  AUItazzdk "  The  Provider" 49 

(Sura  "  Of  the  Forenoon.") 
19.  AUFdtta'h "  The  Opener" 50 

(Muhammad's  Journey  to  Heaven.) 
X.  Al-'AUm "TheAll-Knower" 55 

(The  Jloakkibat.) 
^\.  Al-Kabiz "TheCloser" 57 

(Eril  Deeds.)  '. 

22.  Al-Baeit "  The  Uncloser" 59 

(Good  Deeds.) 
!i3.  Al-Khdfiz "TheAbaser" go 

(Nimriid  and  the  Gnat.) 

24.  Ar-Bafi "The  Exalter" 63 

(Allah's  Prophets.) 

25.  Al-Muhizz "The  Honourer' 65 

(Sura  "  Of  Imran's  Family.") 

26.  Al-Muzil "The  Leader  Astray" 66 

_  ,  (God's  WiU  and  Free-will.) 

27.  As-Samt'A "  The  All-Hearing" 68 

(A  Shepherd's  Prayer ) 
'^.AUBaztr "  The  All-Seeing" -, 

„    .,  „-!..  (^^^fael  and  the  India^  Prince.)" 

^.Al-Hdkim "The  Judge  of  All" ^ 

(The  Last  Day.) 

«^-^l-Bdda •.... "The  Equitable'' 75 

„.     ,,  ,     ,  (Sura  "Of  Jonas.") 

31.  Al-Latif "The  Gracious  One" 75 

(Sura  "  Of  Counsel.") 

32.  Al-Khabvr "  He  who  is  Aware" T7 

(Muhammad  in  the  C^emetery.) 

33.  AUHdlim "The  Clement " ' . .     73 

(The  Dharra  and  the  Date-stone  ) 

34.  Al-'Aziz "TheStrong" 79 

(Sura  "  Of  Al-Akhaf.") 

35.  Al-Ghdfir "ThePardoner" 80 

(Hassan's  Slave.) 

•TheThankful" 82 

(Sura  "  Of  Al-Kauthar.") 


I,  PAOI 

,  M-'Alf "The Exalted" M 

(Sura  '•  Of  the  Bee.") 

,  AlKabir "The  Very  Oroat " 85 

(The  SeTen  Ileavena) 

Al-HAfla ••ThePreeerrer" 17 

(Sura  ■■  or  the  Night  Star.") 

.  AhilulAt "TheMalntalner" 88 

(3ura  ••  Of  the  Inevitable.") 

.  Al-H(UU> "The  Reckoner" 90 

(Sum  "  Of  Women.") 

Al-JanU "The  Beneficent" 91 

(The  RoeeOarden.) 

Al-Kttrim "The  Bountiful" 93 

(Sura  "  Of  Cleavlofc  Asunder.") 

AlRai^  ■  The  Watchful  " SM 

(Thi>  Books  of  (lood  and  Kvil.) 

Al-U^jib •  The  Hearer  of  Prayer" 96 

(All  and  the  Jew.) 

Al-Wtu'ik "The  AUComprehendiuK" 100 

(TumlnK  to  Mecca.) 

AlHAkim  al  Vullak    "  The  Judge  of  Judges" 101 

(The  Angel.s  of  the  Scales.) 

Al-Wadood "TheLoTln«" lOS 

(Taamin  and  Salsabil.) 

,  Al-MvU "The  AllOIorioua" lOG 

(Sura  "Of  the  Cow.") 

Al-B6kit\ "The  Raiser  from  Death" 107 

(Iblis  and  Abraham.) 

AtK-SJtaMd "TheWltneM" IJO 

(Poets  and  Prophets.) 

AlHakk "The  Truth" Ill 

(TheSinof  Sina) 

.  Al-WakU "The  Guardian" 113 

(8ura"Of  theOow.") 

,  Al-Kawi "The  Almighty" 113 

(The  Fly  and  the  Fatae  Ctoda.) 

.  Atlfatem  "TheFtrm" 114 

(The  Tent-Pole.) 

.  AlK-att "The  Nearest  Friend" 115 

(Abraham's  Bread.) 

.  AUHamtd "The  All-Praiseworthy" 11» 

(The  Uardeu  and  the  Rock.) 


58.  Al-MHIm "The  Accountant" 

(Snra  "  Of  the  Earthquake.  ") 

59.  Al-Mubdi "  The  Beginner" 

(The  Light  of  Life.) 

60.  Al-ifu'hid "The  Restorer" 

(A  Message  from  the  Dead.) 

61.  Al-Mo'hyi "The  Quickener  ' 

(Sura  "  Of  the  Signs.") 

62.  Al-ifumit "The  Slayer" 

(The  Angel  of  Death.) 
m.  Al-Haiy "  The  Ever-Living" 

(The  Life  Beyond.) 
M.  Al-Kaiff&m "  The  Self -Subsisting" 

(The  Trumpet.) 

65.  Al-Wdjid " The  All-Perceiving" 

(Sura  "  Of  Daybreak.") 

66.  Al-  n'dhid "  The  One" 

(Al-rUas.) 

67.  As-Samad "The  Eternal" 

(Ozair  the  Jew.) 

68.  Al-Kadar "Providence" 

(Kismat.) 

69.  Al-Muktadir "  The  All-Powerful  " 

(Sura  "  Of  the  Moon.") 

70.  Al-Mukaddim  t "  The  Forewamer"    ( 

71.  Al-Muicakhir  f "  The  Fulflller"  '  

(Sura  "Of  K.") 

72.  Al-Amcal      )  "The  First" 

73.  Al-Akhir        I   "The  Last" 

74.  Ath-Thdhir   t  "The  Manifest' 

75.  A l-B&tiH       )   "The  Hidden" 

(The  "  Mothers  of  the  Names.") 

76.  Al-Wali "The  All-aoverning" 1« 

(Solomon's  Signet. ) 

77.  Al-iIutSh61i "  The  One  above  Reproach" 149 

(Moses  and  the  Angel.) 

78.  Al-Barr "The<5ood" 151 

(The  Adulteress.) 
'J'i.  Al-Tavno6b "  The  Relenting" 154 

(Adam  quitting  Eden.)  • 

i^.  Al-Uuntakim  \  "The  Avenger"      I  ,„ 

«L.  Al-Ghafoor      f "  The  Rewarder"    1 ■ 

(Hell  and  Heaven.) 


Si.  AlKawO/ "The  Ever  Indulgent " 100 

(Sura  "  Of  the  Star.") 
la.  MAIik-ulMuVci "  King  of  the  Kingdom" IK 

(Sura  "Of  thi-  E^iulgratlon." 
9t.  Dku'tjcMl  ira  Ikrdm."  Ix)rd  of  Splendid  Power" 1G3 

(Sura  "Of  Uie  Merciful.") 
».  AlHulait '  The  Equitable" 104 

(The  Last  Sermon  of  the  Prophet.) 
80.  Al-JamCh "  The  Gatherer  ' 167 

(Surs  "Of  Women.") 

87.  AlOhant "The  All-8ufBcing" 108 

(Sara  "  Of  Troope.") 
9S.  At-Mughnt "TheSufflcor" 170 

(Sura  "  Of  the  Afternoon.") 

m.  AlHu'hti  t  "The  Provider"      I 

».  AlitdnCKf  "TheWlthholder"! ' 

(The  Two  Gateways.) 
91.  AnXd/l-h :."TheProplUou8"   173 

(The  Dove.) 
98.  .^-Zarr. "The  Harmful" ITS 

(King  Shedd&d-s  Patsdiae.) 

88.  .*»-iVo©r "The  Light" 181 

(Sura  "  Of  Light.") 
M.  AlIMdt "TheOulde"    18S 

(The  Four  Travellers.) 

».  At-Aioli)  "  Eternal  In  the  Paat "     I 

98.  Al-BdU  1  "  Eternal  In  the  Future"  I '" 

(Sura  "Of  Ya  Sin.") 

97.  Al-Warith "The  Inheritor" 180 

(The  Boae  and  the  Dewdrop.) 

98.  AtlUucMd "The  Unerring" 188 

(The  Prophet's  OiUb.) 

99.  A»-Zaboor "The  Patient" 190 

(laUm.) 
NOTBS I 


Ai.iJ^n!"  Bt-'ssn-'ixAn!  Sat  that  God  is  Onb, 
LrviNii,  Eternal;  and  besides  IIim  none. 


Sa;/  ArliaAnuin  !  "  Th«  Merciful "  Ilim  call , 
For  Jle  in  full  of  mercy  unto  all. 

Onck  on  a  daj-,  in  Paradise, 

Discourse  indignant  did  arise 

AjnoDgst  tlie  Angels,  seeing  how 

The  sons  of  Adam  sinned  below; 

Albeit  Allah's  grace  had  sent 

Prophets  with  much  admonishment. 

••  Heedless  and  guilty  race,"  they  cried, 

"  Whose  penitence  is  set  aside 

At  each  temptation!    Truth  and  Right 

Ye  know  not!"    Then  a  wondrous  light 

Fell  on  their  brows — a  mighty  word 

Sounded— the  Presence  of  the  lyjrd 

Spake:  "  Of  your  number  choose  yo  two 

To  go  among  mankind  and  do 

'Justice  aad  Ilight,'  teaching  them  these." 

Therewith,  from  those  bright  companies, 

IlaHlt  went  and  Marflt  weiil  down 

On  earth,  laying  svside  their  cn>wn 

Of  rays,  and  plumes  of  niinlxiW  fcnther; 

And  on  the  jtidgment-sciil  together 

Many  long  years  they  siilc,  and  wrought 

Just  judgment  upon  each  cause  brought. 


PEABLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Until,  before  that  justice-seat 
There  came  a  woman,  fair  and  sweet. 
So  ravishing  of  form  and  mien 
That  great  Soharah,  who  is  queen 
Of  the  third  planet,  bath  not  eyes 
As  soft,  nor  mouth  made  in  such  wise. 
And  one  whom  she  did  wrong,  besought 
Sentence  against  her:  she  had  nought 
Of  plea,  but  in  her  dazzling  grace 
Stood  fearless  in  the  audience-place; 
Consuming  hearts  with  hot  desire 
By  subtle  Beauty's  searching  flre. 
Then  said  Harut,  forgetting  Heaven, 
"  Pardon  to  such  must,  sure,  be  given." 
Whispered  Marut,  "  If  thou  wilt  be 
Leman  of  mine,  thou  shalt  go  free." 
And  for  her  love  those  two  contended. 
Till  the  false  scene  was  sorely  ended 
With  earthquake,  and  with  lightning-flash, 
And  rolling  thunder's  wrathful  crash, 
"  Midst  which  the  city  and  the  folk 
Passed  from  their  ken,  and  a  Voice  spoke: 
"  Come  unto  judgment,  ye  who  called 
Allah  too  merciful!" 

Appalled 
Hariit  lay  and  Mariit  lay  prone 
In  Paradise,  before  the  Throne ; 
Hearing  that  doom  of  God,  which  said: 
"  Until  My  trumpet  calls  the  dead. 
Dwell  on  the  earth,  where  ye  have  learned 
The  just  may  unto  sin  be  turned." 

^         Merciful  One  and  just!  webksa 
Thy  name,  and  crave  forgiveness. 


80L0X0N  AND   TUB  AJfT. 


Say  Arltiiheem!  call  Uim  •'QmpamonaU," 
For  he  V  pittful  to  iiimU  aiul  rjretU. 

•  Ti3  written  that  the  servins-augeU  stand 
Bosidc  Ood'8  throne,  ten  myriads  on  each  hand, 
Waiting,  with  wings  outstretched  and  watchful  eyes. 
To  do  their  Master's  heavenly  embassies. 
Quicker  than  thought  His  high  commands  they  read. 
Swifter  than  light  to  execute  them  speed ; 
Bearing  the  word  of  power  from  star  to  star 
Some  hither  and  some  thither,  near  and  far. 
And  unto  these  nought  is  to<i  high  or  low, 
To  mean  or  mighty,  if  He  wills  it  so; 
Neither  ia  any  creature,  great  or  small, 
Beyond  His  pity;  which  embraccth  all. 
Because  His  eye  beholdcth  all  which  arc; 
Sees  without  search,  and  countcth  without  care. 
Nor  lies  the  balw  nearer  the  nursing-place 
Than  Allah's  smallest  child  to  Allah's  grace; 
Nor  any  ocean  roll  so  vast  that  He 
Forgets  one  wave  of  all  that  restless  sea. 

Thus  it  is  written ;  and  moreover  told 

How  Gabriel,  watching  by  the  Gates  of  gold. 

Heard  from  the  Voice  lufffuble  this  word 

Of  two-fold  mandate  uttered  by  the  Lord; 

•'  Go  earthward!  po-sa  where  Solomon  hath  made 

His  pleasure-house,  and  sittelh  there  arrayed. 


5  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Goodly  and  splendid— whom  I  crowned  the  king- 
For  at  this  hour  My  servant  doth  a  thing 
Unfitting:  out  of  Nisibis  there  came 
A  thousand  steeds  with  nostrils  all  a-flame 
And  limbs  of  swiftness,  prizes  of  the  fight; 
Lo!  these  are  led,  for  Solomon's  delight, 
Before  the  palace,  where  he  gazeth  now 
Filling  his  heart  with  pride  at  that  brave  show; 
So  taken  with  the  snorting  and  the  ti-amp 
Of  his  war-horses,  that  Our  silver  lamp 
Of  eve  is  swung  in  vain.  Our  warning  Sun 
Will  sink  before  his  sunset- prayer's  begun; 
So  shall  the  people  say,  '  This  king,  our  lord,  • 
Loves  more  the  long-maned  trophies  of  his  sword 
Than  the  remembrance  of  his  God? '    Go  in ! 
Save  thou  My  faithful  servant  from  such  sin." 

"Also,  upon  the  slope  of  Arafat, 
Beneath  a  lote-tree  which  is  fallen  flat, 
Toileth  a  yellow  ant  who  carrieth  home 
Food  for  her  nest,  but  so  far  hath  she  come 
Her  worn  feet  fail,  and  she  will  perish,  caught 
In  the  falling  rain ;  but  thou,  make  tlie  way  naught. 
And  help  her  to  her  people  in  the  cleft 
Of  the  black  rock." 

Silently  Gabriel  left 
The  Presence,  and  prevented  the  king's  sin. 
And  help  the  little  ant  at  entering  in. 


O  TJwu  whose  love  is  wide  and  great. 
We  praise  Thee,  "  T/ie  Compasaioiiate." 


TUK  SULTAN  AM)    TUK  I'OTTKH. 


CaU IRm  "  AlMdlik."  King  ofaUthe  kingt, 
Makgr  and  Matt«r  of  crMted  things. 

The  Sultan  of  Damascus  fuuod  asleep 

Tho  potter  Ebn  Solfll, 
And  bore  him  to  the  palace,  whore  ho  waked 

In  garments  beautiful. 


Conaider!  if  a  king  should  call  tbee  "  friend," 

And  lead  thcc  to  his  cuurt^ 
Roofed  large  with  lazulite,  and  pavcnieiitcd 

With  flow'rs.  on  green  floors  wrought; 

If  be  should  bid  thee  sit  at  meat;  and  spread 
A  table,  served  so  tine 

There  lacked  not  any  pleasant  food  or  fruit- 
But  came  at  call  of  thine; 

If  be  hung  high  ii  glorious  golden  lamp 

To  shine  where  Uiy  feet  tread ; 
And  stretched  black  'broidercd  hangings,  sown   with 
gems. 

For  curtains  to  thy  bed; 

If  for  thy  heats  be  bade  soft  zephyrs  blow; 

Sent,  at  thy  thirst,  sweet  rains;  - 
And  filled  the  groves  with  minstrels,  gayly  garl»'<i. 

To  diarm  theo  with  their  strains: 


30  PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 

If,  past  the  confines  of  his  palace-grounds, 

He  showed  thee  spacious  seas, 
Where,  wafted  o'er  the  dancing  foam,  might  sail 

Thou  and  thine  argosies; 

If,  for  society  in  that  fair  place, 

He  gave  glad  companies, 
Kinsmen  and  friends  and  helpmates,  and  the  bliss 

Of  beauty's  lips  and  eyes; 

With  wisdom's  scroll  to  study,  and  the  ways 

Of  wondrous  living  tilings;  : 
And  lovely  pleasure  of  all  ornaments 

That  Nature's  treasure  brings, 

Coral  and  pearl ;  turkis,  and  agate  stones 

Milk-white  or  rosy-veined ; 
Amber  and  ivbry;  jade;  shawls  wove  with  gold, 

Scarves  with  sea-purple  stained; 

If  the  king  gave  thee  these,  and  only  wrote 

Upon  his  inner  door: 
"  Serve  me  and  honor  me  and  keep  my  laws, 

And  thus  live  evermore 

In  better  bliss,  when  ye  shall  pass  hereby, — 

As  surely  pass  ye  must  :-^'' 
AVho  is  there  would  not  praise  that  monarch's  nan 

With  forehead  in  the  dust? 


Lo!  but  He  doeth  this— Allah  our  King, 

His  sky  is  lazulite; 
His  earth  is  paved  with  emerald-work;  its  stores 

Are  spread  for  man's  delight; 


THE  SULT.IS  AND    TlIK  POTTKn. 

His  sun  by  day,  His  silver  stars  by  nighl, 

Shine  (or  our  sakcs,  Ilis  breeze 
Cools  us  and  wafta  our  ships:  Ilis  pleasant  lands 

Arc  girdled  with  the  seas 

Which  send  the  rain,  and  make  the  crystal  bridge 

Whereby  man  roams  at  will 
From  court  to  court  of  Allah's  picivsure-house; 

Seeing  that  writing  still 

Upon  the  inner  gate — which  all  must  pass— 

'  ■  liove  me  and  keep  my  laws 
That  ye  may  live,  since  there  is  greater  life 

Beyond  these  darkened  doors." 


If  Ebn  Solfll,  the  potter,  loved  Him  not 
Whose  kindness  was  so  strong; 

If  Ebn  Solfll  kept  not  the  palace  laws, 
Ilad  not  that  SUltan  wrong? 


O  Sotertign  Oiver  of  good  thinga, 
Wepraite  Thee,  "  MdUk,"  King  of  Idngi. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


AUah-al-K'Udd/is—tfte  "  Holy  One"  He  is; 
But  purify  thy  speech,  pronoujicing  this; 

For  even  Israfil, 

Who  -waits  iu  Heaven  still 
Nearest  the  Throne,  and  hath  the  voice  of  sweetness. 

Before  his  face  doth  fold 

The  wings  of  feathered  gold. 
Saying  "  Al-Kuddds ;"  and  in  supreme  completeness 

Of  lowly  reverence  stands. 

Laying  his  angel-hands 
Over  his  lips,  lest  Allah's  holiest  name 

Be  lightly  breathed  on  high; 

And  that  white  mystery 
Pass,  as  if  that  and  others  ■were  the  same. 

*Iblis — 'tis  written — when 

He  heareth  among  men 
The  name  of  "Allah"  spoken,  shrinks  and  flics; 

But  at  the  sound  of  this. 

Uttered  in  realms  of  bliss. 
The  Djins  and  Angels,  in  their  ranks,  arise. 

And  what  believer  dares 
Begin  his  morning  prayers 


*Cf.  Koran,  cxiv.  chapter  "  Of  men.' 


GODS  XAME  IK  nSAVEN. 

Without  "wuzu'li"—lh' ablution?  who  is  seen 
His  Kor&n  to  rehearse 
But  liiUU  in  mind  its  verae, 

"  Let  none  me  touch,  save  such  as  arc  made  clean?" 

Lol  if  with  streams  or  sands 

Ye  lave  the  earnest  liiuuls 
l.ifli'd  iu  prayer;  and  if  ye  wash  tlio  mouth 

Which  reads  the  sacred  scroll. 

Dare  yc  with  sullied  soid 
Meditate  this  dread  word,  that  shrines  the  truth 

Of  Allah's  purity?   * 

Bethink!  His  great  eyes  see 
The  hearts  of  men  unto  their  inmost  core! 

Make  clean  your  hearts  witliin; 

Cast  forth  each  inmost  sin ; 
Tlicu  with  bowed  brows,  say  this  name,  and  adore. 

thrgim.  Thou  Pun  Om .'—Wiormee  bUt»— 
Of  our  good  deed*  the  sinfulneM. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Ihou  Who  art  "Peace,"  and  unto  peace  dost  bring, 
AUah-aa-Salam !  we  praise  Thee,  Judge  and  King! 

When  th'  unshunned  Day  arriveth,  none  of  men  shall 

doubt  it  come ;     ■ 
Into  Hell  some  it  will  lower,  and   exalt   to    Heaven 


When  the  earth   -with   qiiakenings  quaketh,  and   the 

mountains  crumble  flat, 
Quick  and  dead  shall  be  divided  threefold ;  on  this  side, 

and  that, 

The  Companions  of  the  right  hand  (ah!   how  joyful 

they  will  be  I) 
The  Companions  of  the  left  hand  (oh !  what  misery  to 

see!) 

Such,  moreover,  as  of  old  time,  loved  the  truth   and 

taught  it  well, 
First  in  faith,  they  shall  be  foremost  in  reward:  the 

rest  to  Hell! 

But  those  souls  attaining  Allah,— ah,  the  Gardens  of 

good  cheer 
Kept  to  lodge  them!    yea,   besides    the   "Faithful," 

many  will  be  there. 


THE  rSACR  OF  PARADISE.  25 

Lightly  lying  on  soft  couches,  beautiful  with  broidered 

gold. 
Friends  with  friends,  they  shall  be  served  by  youths 

immortal,  who  will  hold 

Akwdb,  abareek — cups  and  goblets — brimming  with  ce- 
lestial wiue — 

Wine  which  hurts  nor  head  nor  ^omach — this  and 
fruits  of  Ueaven  which  shine 

Bright,  desirable;  and  rich  flesh  of  what  birds  they  rel- 
ish best; 

Yea,  and  feasted,  there  shall  soothe  them  damsels  fair- 
eat,  stateliest — 

Damsels  having  eyes  of  wonder,  large  black  eyes  like 

hidden  pearls, 
Lulu-'l-maknun,    Allah  grants    them,  for  sweet  love, 

those  matchless  girls. 

Never  in  that  Garden  hear  they  speech  of  folly,  sin,  or 

dread; 
Only  "  Peace"— At-SaUim  only— that  one  word  for  ever 

said, 

"Peace!  Peace!   Peace!"  and  the  Companions  of  the 

right  hand  (all!  those  bowers!) 
They  shall  roam  in  thornless  lote-groves,  under  mawz- 

trces  hung  with  flowers; 

Shaded,  fed  by  flowing  waters;  near  to  fruiu  which 
never  cloy, 

Ilaniring  always  ripe  for  plucking;  and  at  hand  the  ten- 
der Joy 


26  PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 

Of  those  maids  of  Heaven,  the  Houris:  lo!  to  them  We 

gave  a  birth 
Specially  creating,   lo!    they  are  not  as  the  wives  of 

earth ; 

Ever  virginaV  and  stainless,  how  so  often  they  embrace. 
Always  young  and  loved  and  loving  these  are;  neither 
is  there  grace 

Like  the  grace  and  bliss  the  Black-eyed  keep  for  you  in 

Paradise, 
O  Companions  of  the  right  hand!  O  ye  others  that  were 


Gher  ofpeaci  !  when  comes  that  day. 
Set  us  within  Thy  sight,  we  pray. 


•  Cf.  Koran,  Ivi.  chapter  "  Of  the  Inevitable.' 


THE   rSRlTT  OF  SATID. 


Al-Maumin  !  "  Fitifhfiil,"  fast,  andjatt  ia  Be, 
And  lottth  tuck  as  lite,  in  verity. 

Ibn  Sawa,  Lord  of  Bahrein,  in  the  field 

Captured  a  Sheikh,  an  Arab  of  the  hills. 

Sayid  bin-Tuyf;  and  the  kinf!:'8  oalli  was  passed 

That  eacli  tenth  man  of  all  the  captives  die 

Together  with  their  c-hieflains,  for  the  war 

Waxed  fierce,  and  hearts  of  men  were  turned  to  flame. 

So  led  they  Sayid  forth  before  the  camp 

At  Azan;  and  a  eunuch  of  the  guard. 

Savage  and  black,  stoo<l  with  his  haick  uprolled 

Back  to  the  armpit,  and  the  scinictar's  edge 

Naked  to  strike. 

But  suddenly  the  king 
Inquired,  "  Art  thou  uot  he  gave  me  to  drink, 
Hunting  gazelles,  before  the  war  began?" 
"  Yea,  I  am  be!"  said  Suyid. 

Quoth  the  king, 
"  Ask  not  thy  liie,  but  ask  some  other  boon, 
That  I  may  pay  my  debt." 

Sarid  replied, 
'■  Death  is  not  terrible  to  me  who  die 
Rod  with  tliis  unl>elicving  blood  of  thine; 
But  there  linlh  come  a  Qmt-born  in  my  tent; 


28  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Fain  would  I  see  my  son's  face  for  a  day, 
Before  mine  eyes  are  sealed.     Lend  me  my  life. 
To  hold  as  something  borrowed  from  thy  hand. 
Which  I  will  bring  again." 

"  Ayl"  laughed  the  king, 
"  If  one  should  answer  for  it  with  his  own. 
Show  me  thy  hostage  I" 

"  Let  me  stand  bis  bond," 
Spake  one  on  whom  the  lot  of  mercy  f  ell— 
Ishfik  of  Tayf,  a  gallant  youth  and  fair— 
"  I  am  his  sister's  son;  bind  ye  my  arms. 
And  set  free  Sayid,  that  he  ride  at  speed, 
And  see  his  first-born's  face,  and  come  again. " 

So  Sayid  went  free  again,  seeking  his  home. 
But  in  the  camp  they  mocked  that  faithful  friend,       , 
Saying,  "  Lol  as  a  fool  thou  diest  now, 
Staking  thy  life  upon  an  Arab's  word. 
Why  should  he  haste,  to  abide  the  bitter  blade? 
Will  the  scared  jackal  try  the  trap  again; 
The  hawk  once  limed  return  unto  the  snare? 
Cry  to  the  desert-wind  to  turn  and  come. 
But  call  not  Sayid." 

Ishfik  only  smiled. 
And  said,  "  He  is  a  Muslim,  he  will  come!" 

The  days  passed,  Sayid  came  not,  and  they  led 
The  hostage  forth,  for  IshSk  now  must  die : 
But  still  he  smiled,  saying,  "  Till  sunset's  hour 
Slay  me  not,  for  at  sunset  he  will  come." 

So  fell  it,  for  the  sun  had  touched  the  palms, 
And  that  black  swordsman  stood  again  in  act 


THE   VERITT  OF  SATW.  1 

To  strike,  when  Sayid's  white  mare,  galloping  in, 
Drew  steaming  breath  before  the  royal  tent; 
And  Suyid,  leaping  from  the  saddle,  kissed 
His  kinsman's  eyes,  and  gently  spake  to  all, 
•'  Labixiyki /  1  am  here." 

Then  said  the  king, 
"  Never  before  was  known  a  deed  like  this 
That  one  should  stake  his  life  upon  a  word: 
The  other  ride  to  death  as  to  a  bride. 
Live,  and  be  frieudu  of  Ibn  SAwa,  but  speaki 
Whence  learned  ye  these  high  lessons?" 

IshSk  spake, 
"  Wo  are  believers  in  the  book  which  saith, 
'  Fulfil  your  covenants,  if  ye  covenant; 
ForGotl  is  witness!   break  no  word  with  men 
Which  God  hath  heard";  and  surely  he  hears  all."  "• 

That  verse  the  king  bade  write  in  golden  script 
Over  the  palace  gate ;  and  he  and  his 
Followed  the  Faith. 

Ta!  AUahal.}faumin  f 
In  truO^fulneu  of  act  b«  our  faith  u-en. 

•  a.  Korio,  xvt  chapter  "  Of  the  Bee." 


^. 


V 


PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 


Call  Mm  Muhaimin,  "  Help  in  danger's  hour," 
Protector  of  the  true  wlio  trust  His  power. 

The  spider  and  the  dove! — what  thing  is  weak 

If  Allah  makes  it  strong? 
The  spider  and  the  dove ! — if  He  protect, 

Fear  thou  not  foeman's  wrong. 

From  Mecca  to  Medina  fled  our  Lord, 

The  horsemen  followed  fast ; 
Into  a  cave  to  shun  their  murderous  rage, 

Muhammad,  weary,  passed. 

Quoth  Abu  Bekr,  "  If  they  see,  we  diel" 

Quoth  Ebn  Fohcir,  "  Away!" 
The  guide  Abdallah  said,  "  The  sand  is  deep, 

Those  footmarks  will  betray." 

Then  spake  our  Lord,  "  We  are  not  four,  but  Five; 

'  He  who  protects '  is  here. 
Come!  Al-Muhaimin  now  will  blind  their  eyes; 

Enter,  and  have  no  fear. " 

The  band  drew  nigh;  one  of  the  Koreish  cried, 

"  Search  ye  out  j'onder  cleft, 
1  see  the  print  of  sandalled  feet  which  turn 

Thither,  upon  the  left!" 


THE  SPIDER  AND  TUJC  DOVE. 

Biit  when  they  drew  unto  the  cavern's  mouth, 

Lo!  Ht  it3  cnlering-in, 
A  ring  necked  desert  dove  sate  on  her  eggs; 

The  mule  cooed  soft  within. 

And  right  athwart  the  shadow  of  the  cave 

A  spider's  web  was  spread; 
The  creature  hung  ui>on  her  net  at  watch; 

Unbn>ken  was  each  thread. 

"By  Tliammuz'  blixHl,"  the  unbelievers  cried, 

"Our  toil  and  time  are  lost; 
Where  doves  hatch  nnd  the  spider  spins  her  sna 

No  foot  of  man  hath  crossed  1" 

Thus  did  a  desert  bird  and  spider  guard 

The  blessed  Prophet  tlien ; 
For  all  things  serve  their  Maker  and  their  Qod 

Better  than  thankless  men. 


Attaik'4il-Mtiha\min  !  Meld  and  tav» 
U*,  for  his  lake  teithin  that  eace. 


PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 


Say  Al-Hathimf  He  is  the  Miglity  One! 

Pram  Him,  and  hear  the  great  "  Vene  of  the  Thrme." 

"  Allah!  there  is  none  other  God  but  He, 

The  Living  God,  the  Self-subsistent  One; 
Weariness  cometh  not  to  Him,  nor  sleep; 

And  whatso  is  belongs  to  Him  alone 
In  heaven  and  earth;  who  is  it  intercedes 

With  Him,  save  if  He  please?    He  is  aware 
What  is  before  them  and  what  after  them. 

And  they  of  all  His  knowledge  nothing  share 
Save  what  He  will  vouchsafe.     His  throne's  foundation 

Sits  splendid,  high  above  the  earth  and  sky. 
Which  to  sustain  gives  Him  no  meditation: 

Mightiest  He  is,  Supreme  in  Majesty." 


Ayatu-'UEoorsiy  !  this  we  Muslims  grave 
On  polished  gem  and  painted  architrave; 
But  thou,  write  its  great  letters  on  thy  heart. 
Landing  the  Mighty  One,  whose  work  thou  art. 


SURA  FIFTTNINE. 


The  "An-CompeUing!"  golden  it  Ihatterte, 
Which  doth  Uia  litU—AlJabbdr—reheartt. 

Sura  the  nine  and  fiftieth:  "FearyeQod, 

O  true  believers!  and  let  every  soul 

Hecil  wbat  it  doth  to-day.  because  to-morrow 

The  same  thing  it  shall  find  gone  forward  there 

To  meet  and  make  and  judge  it.     Fear  ye  Qod, 

For  He  knows  whatsoever  deeds  ye  do. 

Be  not  as  those  who  have  forgotten  Ilim, 

For  they  are  those  who  have  forgot  themselves; 

They  are  tlie  evil-doers:  not  for  such, 

And  for  the  heritors  of  Paradise, 

Shall  it  be  equal ;  Paradise  is  kept 

For  those  thrice  blessed  who  have  ears  to  hear. 

Lo!  had  we  sent  "the  Book"  unto  Our  hills. 
Our  hills  had  bowed  their  crests  in  reverence. 
And  opcne<l  to  tlie  lieart  their  breasts  of  rock 
To  take  Heaven's  message.     Fear  ye  Him  who  knows 
Present,  and  Past,  and  Future ;  fear  ye  Him 
Who  is  the  Only.  Holy,  Faithful  Lord, 
Qlorious  and  good,  compelling  to  His  will 
Ail  things,  for  all  things  He  bath  made  and  nilea. 

So  ruU,  Al-JabbAr;  makf  our  mil* 
Bend,  though  tnore  itubborn  than  the  hilU. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


AlrMutakabbir  !  aXl  the  Tieavem  declare 
His  majesty,  Who  makes  tliem  wluit  they  are. 

AzAR,  of  Abraham  the  father,  spake 

Unto  his  son,  "Come!  and  thine  offerings  make 

Before  the  gods  whose  images  divine 

In  Nimrud's  carved  and  painted  temple  shine. 

Pay  worship  to  the  sun's  great  orb  of  gold; 

Adore  the  queen-moon's  silver  state;  behold 

Ot^red,  Moghtari,  Sohayl,  in  their  might. 

Those  stars  of  glory,  those  high  lords  of  light. 

These  have  we  wrought,  as  fitteth  gods  alone. 

In  bronze  and  ivory  aud  chiselled  stone. 

Obey,  as  did  thy  sires,  these  powers  of  Heaven 

Which  rule  the  world,  throned  in  the  circles  seven." 

But  Abraham  said,  "  Did  they  not  see  the  sun 
Sink  and  grow  darkened,  when  the  days  were  done; 
Did  not  the  moon  for  them,  too,  wax  aud  wane, 
That  they  should  pay  her  worship,  false  and  vain? 
Lo!  all  these  stars  have  laws  to  rise  and  set — 
OtSred,  Moshtari,  Sohayl— wilt  thou  yet 
Bid  me  praise  gods  who  humbly  come  and  go, 
Lights  th.1t  a  Greater  Light  hath  kindled?    Nol 
I  dare  not  bow  the  knee  to  one  of  these; 
My  Lord  is  He  who  (past  the  sky  man  sees) 
Waxeth  and  waneth  not.  Unchanged  of  all, 
Him  only  '  God,'  Him  only  '  Great,'  I  call." 

Well  spak'st  thou,  Friend  of  Allah  !  none 
la  "great "  except  the  Greatest  One. 


iS/O.Vi-  OF  TUK  LUlU). 


Praite  the  "  Creator!"  He  who  made  «»  lire. 
Lift  ererLuting  unto  lu  can,  gite. 

By  ilie  glorious  Book  We  have  sent!  do  they  wonder  a 
Warner  is  come 
Out  from  among  themselves?  do  the  misbelievers  say 
"This  is  a  marvellous  thingl  what!  when  we  are  dead 
and  dust 
To  live  I  to  arise!  sec  now,  this  hope  is  a  hope   far 
away!" 

But  what  the  grave  shall  consume,  and  what  of  the 
man  it  shall  le.ivo, 
We  know,  for  a  roll  is  with   Us  where  each  soul's 
order  is  set. 
Will  they  call  the  truth  a  lie  when  it  cometli  to  them, 
and  dwell 
Wrangling  and  foolish  and  fearful,  confounding  the 
matter?     But  yet 

The  heaven  is  above  them  to  sec  how  fair  We  have 
builded  its  arch, 
Paintetl  it  golden  and  blue,  finished  it  perfect  and 
clear; 
And  the  earth  how  We  spread  it  forth,  and  planted  the 
mountains  thereon; 
And  made  all  the  manifold  trees  and  the  beautiful 
blossoms  appear. 


36  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Memorials  are  these  to  the  wise,  and  a  message  to  him 
who  repents ; 
Moreover  We  drop  from  the  clouds  the  blessing  of 
water,  the  rain, 
Whereby  the  cool  gardens  do  grow,  and   the  palms 
soaring  up  to  the  sky 
With  their  date-laden  branches  and  houghs,  one  over 
the  other;  and  grain 

To  nourish  the  children  of  men.     Lo!  thus  We  have 
quickened  dead  clay 
On  the  bosom  of  earth,  and  beneath  her  so,  too,  shall 
a  quickening  be. 


What!  deem  they  it  wearied  God  to  create? — that  His 
power  was  spent? 
They  are  fools,  and  they  darken  their  eyes  to  that 
which  He  willeth  them  see. 

We  have  fashioned  man,  and  we  know  the  thoughts  of 
his  innermost  heart; 
We  are  closer  to  him  than  his  blood,  more  near  than 
the  vein  of  his  throat; 
At  the  right  of  ye  all  sits  a  watcher,  a  watcher  sits  at 
your  left ; 
And  whatso  each  speaketh  or  thinketh,  those   two 
have  known  it  and  note. 


Al-Khdlik  !  Fashioner  Divine  ! 
Finish  Thy  woi-k  and  make  m  Thi 


A2f GELS'   WlJfOS. 


Al-Bdri!  Moulder  of  each  form  and  frame, 
Ftiti  praise  lite  Potter,  when  we  speak  this  name. 

PiuiBE  be  to  God,  the  Designer,  Builder  of  earth  and 
of  Heaven! 
Fashioned  His  Angels  He  hath,  making  them  mes- 
sengers still; 
Two  wings  to  some  and  four  wings  to  some,  and  to 
some  He  hath  given 
Six  and  eight  silver  wings,  making  what  marTcls 
He  will. 

Verily   mighty    is    He,    and   what    He    bestoweth    of 
blessing 
None  can  withhold;  and  none  what  He  withholdeth 
can  send: 
Children  of  men  !   remember  the  mercies  of  Allah  to- 
wards ye. 
Is  there  a  JIakcr  save  this,  is  there  another  such 
Friend? 


Nowhere  ajioiher  one,  we  $ee, 
Wondrout  " Artificer/"  like  Thee. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Al-Muzammr  !  the  "  Fashioner .'"  say  thus  ; 
Still  lauding  Him  who  hath  compounded  us. 

"When  the  Lord  would  fashion  men. 
Spake  He  in  the  Angels'  hearing, 

"  Lo!  Our  wiU  is  there  shall  be 
On  the  earth  a  creature  bearing 

Rule  and  royalty.     To-day 

We  will  shape  a  man  from  clay." 

Spake  the  Angels,  "  Wilt  Thou  make 
Man  who  must  forget  his  Maker, 

Working  evil,  shedding  blood. 
Of  Thy  precepts  the  forsaker? 

But  Thou  knowest  all,  and  we 

Celebrate  Thy  majesty." 

Answered  Allah,  "Tea!  I  know 
What  ye  know  not  of  this  making; 

Gabriel  !  Michael  !  Israfil  ! 
Go  down  to  the  earth,  and  taking 

Seven  clods  of  colors  seven. 

Bring  them  unto  Me  in  Heaven." 

Then  those  holy  Angels  three 
Spread  their  pinions  and  descended; 

Seeking  clods  of  diverse  clay. 
That  all  colors  might  be  blended; 


THE  MASmO   OF  MAN. 

Yellow,  tawny,  dun,  black,  brown, 
White  and  red,  as  men  arc  known. 

But  the  earth  spake,  sore  afraid, 

"  Angels  !  of  my  substance  take  not; 

Give  me  back  my  dust,  and  jiray 
That  the  dread  Creator  make  not 

Man,  for  he  will  sin,  and  bring 

Wrath  on  me  and  suffering." 

Therefore  empty-handed  came 

Gabriel.  Michael,  Isratil, 
Saying.  "Lord  !  Thy  earth  imploreth 

Man  may  never  on  her  dwell ; 
'  He  will  sin  and  anger  thee. 
Give  me  back  ray  clay! '  cried  she." 

Spake  the  Lord  to  Azrael, 

"Go  thou,  who  of  wing  art  surest. 
Tell  my  earth  this  shall  be  well: 

Bring  those  clods,  which  thou  procureat 
From  her  bosom,  unto  Me; 
Shape  them  as  I  order  thee." 

Thus  'tis  written  how  the  Lord 
Fashioned  Adam  for  His  glory, 

Whom  the  Angels  worshipped. 
All  .save  Iblts;  and  this  story 

Teachelh  wherefore  Azrael  saith, 

"  Come  thoul"  at  man's  hour  of  desth. 


Allah.'  lehen  he  doth  cnU  u»,  taktf 
W»  art  tveh  day  a*  Thou  did'$t  make. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


AlOhaffdr,  the  " Forgwer"  praise  thereby. 
Thy  Lord  -who  issofuUof  demency. 

Once,  it  is  written,  Abraliam,  "God's  Friend," 

Angered  his  Lord;  for  there  had  ridden  in 

Across  the  burning  yellow  desert-flats 

An  aged  man,  haggard  with  two  da)'s'  drouth. 

The  wafer-skin  swung  from  his  saddle-fork 

Wrinkled  and  dry;  the  dust  clove  to  his  lids, 

And  clogged  his  beard;  his  parched  tongue  and  black 

lips 
Moved  to  say,  "Give  me  drink,"  yet  uttered  nought; 
And  that  gaunt  camel  which  he  rode  upon. 
Sank  to  the  earth  at  entering  of  the  camp, 
Too  spent  except  to  lay  its  neck  along 
The  sand,  and  moan. 

To  whom  when  they  had  given 
The  eool  wet  jar,  asweat  with  diamond-drops 
Of  sparkling  life,  that  way-worn  Arab  laved 
The  muzzle  of  his  beast,  and  filled  her  mouth; 
Then  westward  turned  with  blood-shot,  worshipping 

eyes. 
Pouring  forth  water  to  the  setting  orb: 
Next,  would  have  drunk,  but  Abraham  saw,  and  said, 
"Let  not  this  unbeliever  drink,  who  pours 
God's  gift  of  Water  forth  unto  the  sun. 
Which  is  but  creature  of  the  living  Lord." 


ABRAHAM'S  OFFENCE. 

But  while  the  man  still  clutched  the  precious  jar, 
Striving  to  quaff,  a  form  of  grace  drew  nigh, 
Beauteous,  majestic.     If  he  came  afoot. 
None  knew,  or  if  he  glided  from  the  sky. 
With  gentle  air  he  filled  a  gourd  and  gave 
The  man  to  drink,  and  Abraham— in  wrath 
That  one  should  disobey  him  in  his  tenta — 
JIade  to  forbid;  when  full  upon  him  smote 
Eyes  of  divine  light,  eyes  of  high  rebuke— 
For  this  was  Michael,  Allah's  messenger— 
"Lo  I  God  reprovoth  thee,  thou  Friend  of  God  I 
Forbiddest  thou  gift  of  the  common  stream 
To  this  idolater,  spent  with  the  heat, 
Who,  in  his  utmost  need,  watered  his  beast. 
And  bowetl  the  knee  in  reverence,  ere  he  drank? 
Allah  hath  borne  with  him  these  threescore  years, 
Bestowed  upon  him  corn  and  wine,  and  made 
His  housi'hold  fruitful  and  his  herds  increase; 
And  flud'sl  thou  not  patience  to  pity  him 
Whom  God  hath  pitied,  waiting  for  the  end. 
Since  none  sjive  He  wotteth  what  end  will  come, 
Or  who  shall  find  the  light.     Thou  art  rebuked! 
Seek  pardon!  for  thou  hast  ranch  need  to  seek." 

Thereat  the  Angel  vanished,  aa  he  came; 
But  Abr:di:un,  with  humbled  countenance. 
Kissed  reverently  the  heathen's  hand,  and  spake — 
Leading  hira  to  the  chief  seat  in  the  tent — 
"  God  pardon  me,  as  He  doth  pardon  thee  I" 


Lang-iuffering  Ijtrd!  ah.  who  i 
Forgiten,  if  Thou  wert  as  vet 


PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITE. 


AlKahhdr  caU  Mm—"  Dominant,"  the  King, 
Who  maketh,  knoweth,  ruleth  everything. 

Thb  "  Chapter  of  the  Cattle  :"  *  Heaven  is  whose. 
And  whose  is  earth  ?    Say  Allah's,  That  did  choose 

On  His  own  might  to  lay  the  law  of  mercy. 
He,  at  the  Resurrection,  will  not  lose 

One  of  His  own.    "What  falleth,  night  or  day, 
Falleth  by  His  Almighty  word  alway. 

"Wilt  thou  have  any  other  Lord  than  Allah, 
"Who  is  not  fed,  but  feedeth  all  flesh?    Say! 

For  if  He  visit  thee  with  woe,  none  makes 
'The  woe  to  cease  save  He;  and  if  He  takes 

Pleasure  to  send  thee  pleasure.  He  is  Master 
Over  all  gifts;  nor  doth  His  thought  forsake 

The  creatures  of  the  field,  nor  fowls  that  fly; 
They  are  "a  people"  also:  "These,  too,  I 

Have  set,"  the  Lord  saith,  "in  My  book  of  record; 
These  shall  be  gathered  to  Me  by  and  by." 

"With  Him  of  all  things  secret  are  the  keys; 
None  other  hath  them,  but  He  hath;  and  sees 

"Whatever  is  in  land,  or  air,  or  water. 
Each  bloom  that  blows,  each  foam-bell  on  the  seas. 

•  Cf.  Koran,  vi.  chapter  "  Of  the  Cattle." 


SURA   "  OF  THE  CATTLE." 

Nor  is  there  any  little  hidden  grain 
Swelliiii;  beneath  the  sod,  nor  in  the  main 
Any  small  flsh  or  shell,  nor  of  the  earth 
Green  things  or  dry  things  upon  hill  or  plain, 

But  these  are  written  in  th"  unerring  Book: 
And  what  ye  did  by  day.  and  when  ye  took 

Your  slumbers,  and  the  last  sleep;  then  to  Him 
Is  your  return,  and  the  account's  there  I— look  1 

AUEahhir!  AUrtmbracing  One! 
Our  truil  infixed  on  Thee  alime. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Praise  "  the  Bestmuer:"  unto  all  that  live 
He  giveth,  and  He  loveth  those  who  give. 

The  ImSm  Ali,  Lion  of  the  Faith, 

Have  ye  not  heard  his  giving?  what  he  had 

The  poor  had,  for  he  held  his  gold  and  goods 

As  Allah's  almoner.     Ali  it  was 

Who  in  the  Mecca  mosque  at  evening  prayer — 

Being  entreated  by  some  needy  one — 

Would  not  break  off,  yet  would  not  let  the  man 

Ask  him  in  vain  for  what  he  asked  of  God, 

Favor  and  aid;  wherefore — amid  the  words — 

He  drew  his  emerald,  carved  with  Allah's  praise. 

From  his  third  finger,  giving  it;  and  prayed 

With  face  unturned. 

If  he  had  pieces  ten, 
He  succored  five  score;  if  one  dinar,  then 
Into  ten  dirhems  he  divided  that, 
And  fed  ten  "  people  of  the  bench."    Our  Lord 
(On  whom  be  peace!)  in  all  men's  hearing  said, 
"This  is  the  Prince  of  Givers!" 

Once  it  fell, 
Being  sore  himgered  in  his  house,  he  cried, 
"  Fatmeh!  thou  daughter  of  the  Prophet  of  God, 
Find  me  to  eat,  if  thou  hast  any  food." 


AU  AND  THE  ANOELS.  45 

And  Fatmeh  said,  "  Father  of  Hassanl  hero 

Not  a  dry  date  is  left — not  one — I  swear 

By  nim  besides  Whom  is  Doue  other  God; 

But  in  the  corner  of  the  tomb  I  laiil 

Six  silver  akchas:  lake  them,  if  thou  wilt, 

And  buy  thee  in  the  market  food,  and  bring 

Fruits  for  our  boys.  Hassan  and  Hussain."    Thus 

AU  departed.     On  his  way  ho  spied 

Two  Mussulmans,  of  whom  one  rudely  haled 

The  other,  crying,  "  Pay  thy  debt,  or  come 

Unto  the  prison  where  the  smitcr  waits." 

And  he  who  owed  had  nought,  and  wept  amain, 

Sighing.  "  Alas  the  day!"    But  Ali  asked, 

"  What  is  thy  debt,  my  brother?"    Then  he  moaned, 

"  Six  akchas,  for  the  lack  of  which  the  chains 

Must  load  me."     "Nnyl"  spake  Ali,  "  they  are  here; 

Take  them  and  pay  the  man,  and  go  in  pence." 

So  went  that  debtor  free,  but  Ali  came 

Empty  in  hand  and  holly  home  again 

Unto  his  door,  where  Fiitmeh  and  the  sons, 

Hassan  and  Hussain,  seeing  him  approach. 

Ran  joyous  forth,  crying,  "  He  bringoth  us 

Dates  now,  and  honey,  and  new  camels'  milk; 

Soon  shall  we  feast."     But  when  they  saw  his  cloth 

Hang  void,  and  troubled  eyes,  and  heard  him  say, 

"  Upon  my  road  I  met  a  poorer  man 

Who,  for  six  akchas,  should  have  borne  the  chains; 

To  him  I  gave  them,  and  I  bring  ye  nought," 

Then  the  lads  wept;  but  Fatmeh  smiled  and  spake: 

"Well  hast  thou  done,  O  servant  of  the  Lord! 

Weep  not,  ye  sons  of  Ali.  though  we  fast; 

Who  fecdclh  Allah's  children,  feasts  His  own: 

He,  the  '  Bestower,'  will  provide  for  us." 


6  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

But  All  turned,  heart-sore  because  the  boys 
Lacked  meat,  and  Fatmeh's  lovely  eyes  were  sunk 
Hollow  with  hunger.     "  I  will  go,"  thought  he, 
"  Unto  the  blessed  Prophet,  for,  if  one 
Be  burdened  with  a  thousand  woes,  his  word 
Dismisses  them  and  makes  the  sorrow  joy." 
So  bent  he  mournful  steps  thither,  to  tell 
The  Lord  Muhammad  of  this  strait,  wlien — lol 
An  Arab  in  mid  path  encountered  him, 
Of  noble  bearing,  with  a  chieftain's  mien. 
Leading  a  riding-camel  by  her  string, 
Black,  with  full  teeth,  the  best  beast  ever  foaled. 
"Buy  Wurdah!— buy  my  desert  rose,"  quoth  he; 
"  One  hundred  akchas  make  her  thine,  so  thou 
Shalt  own  the  best  in  Hedjaz,  or  at  choice 
Sell  her  for  double  money."    Ali  said, 
"  The  beast  is  excellent!  fain  would  I  buy. 
But  have  not  in  my  scrip  thy  price."     "  Go  to," 
The  Sheikh  replied;  "  take  her  and  bring  thy  gold. 
When  Allah  pleaselh,  to  the  western  gate; 
I  will  await  thee." 

Ali  nodded;  took 
The  nose-string,  turning  to  the  left  to  seek 
The  camel-merchants  that  should  buy  the  beast; 
"Whom  at  the  very  entry  of  the  Ehan 
Another  Arab  in  the  desert  garb. 
Lordly  and  gracious  like  his  fellow,  met, 
And  quick  saluted,  saying.  "  Peace  with  thee! 
God  send  thee  favor!  wilt  thou  sell  me  now 
Thy  riding-camel  with  the  great  stag-eyes? 
Here  be  three  hundred  akchas  counted  down. 
Silver  and  gold,  good  money!    Such  an  one 


ALI  AND  THE  ANQELS.  47 

I  sought,  but  found  not,  till  I  sj\w  thee  here." 

"  If  thou  wilt  buy,"  quoth  All,  "  be  it  sol" 

And  thereupon  thnt  Bedawce  counted  out 

Dinars  and  dirliem.s — little  suns  and  rooons 

Of  glittering  gold  and  silver — in  his  cloth. 

And  took  the  boast;  but  Ali,  with  one  piece 

Bought  food  and  fruits,  and,  hastening  home  again, 

Heard  his  lads  laugh  with  joy  to  see  the  store 

Poured  forth;— white   cakes    and    dates   and    amber 

grapes — 
Anil  smiled  himself  to  mark  Fatmeh's  soft  eyes 
Gladden:  then,  having  eaten,  blessed  the  Lord, 
Giver  of  gifts,  "  Bestower." 

So,  once  more 
Made  be  to  go  untolhc  western  gate 
To  pay  his  seller;  but  upon  the  street 
The  Prophet  met  him.     Lightly  smiled  our  Lord, 
(On  whom  be  comfort!)  lightly  questioned  he. 
Saying.  "  O  Ali!  who  was  be  did  sell 
Thy  riding-carael,  and  to  whom  didst  thou 
Sell  her  again?"    Quoth  Ali,  "  Only  God 
Knoweth,  except  thou  knowest!"     Spake  our  Lord, 
"  Yea,  but  1  know!  that  was  great  Gabriel, 
Chief  messenger  of  Heaven,  from  whom  thou  bought'st; 
And  he  to  whom  thou  sold'st  was  Israfil, 
His  heavenly  fellow;  and  that  bea.sl  did  come 
Forth  from  the  pleasure  tields  of  Paradise, 
And  thither  back  is  gone;  for— look!  my  son, 
Allah  hath  recompensed  thee  lifty  times 
The  goodly  deed  then  didst,  giving  thine  all 
To  free  the  weeping  debtor.     Oh,  He  sees 
And  measures  and  bestows ;  but  what  is  kept, 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Beyond  gifts  here,  for  kindly  hearts  tliat  love, 
God  only  wotteth,  and  the  Eternal  Peace." 


Bestower  !  grant  us  grace  to  see 
Our  gain  is  what  we  lose  far  Thee. 


SUIiA   "OF  TJJK  FORENOON." 


AUIioKiik!  the  "Provider!"  thut again 
Praite  Ilim  who,  having  formed  thee,  doth  sustain. 

By  the  high  dawn. 
When  the  light  of  the  sun  is  strong  I 

By  the  thick  night. 
When  the  darkness  is  deep  and  longl 
Do  liath  not  forsook  thee,  nor  Imted! 

By  hia  mercies,  I  say. 
The  life  which  will  come  shall  be  better 

Than  the  life  of  to-day. 

In  the  latter  days 
The  Lord  thy  "  Provider"  shall  give; 

When  thou  knowesl  His  gift 
Thou  wilt  not  ask  rather  to  live; 
Look  back  I  thou  wcrt  friendless  and  frameless, 

He  made  thee  from  nought ; 
Look  back!  thou  wert  blinded  and  wandering, 

To  the  light  thou  art  brought! 
Consider!  shall  Allah  forego  thee 

Since  thus  He  hath  wrought?  * 


The  favor  of  thy  Lord  perpend, 
And  praise  His  mereies  uithout  end. 


■Ct  Korio,  xdU.  clupter  ".Of  the  Forenoon." 


PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 


AlFattd'h!  praise  the  "  Opener.'"  and  recite 
The  marvels  of  that  "Journey  of  the  Night."* 

Our  Lord  Muhammad  lay  upon  the  hill 

Safa,  whereby  the  holy  city  stands, 

Asleep,  wrapped  in  a  robe  of  camels'  wool. 

Dark  was  the  night — that  Night  of  grace — and  still; 

When  all  the  seven  spheres,  by  God's  commands, 

Opened  unto  him,  splendid  and  wonderful! 

For  Gabriel,  softly  lighting,  touched  his  side. 
Saying,  "  Rise,  thou  enwrapped  one!  come  and  see 
The  things  which  be  beyond.     Lo!  I  have  brought 
Borak,  the  horse  of  swiftness;  mount  and  ride!" 
Milk-white  that  steed  was,  with  embroidery 
Of  pearls  and  emeralds  in  his  long  hair  wrought. 

Hooved  like  a  mule  he  was,  with  a  man's  face; 
His  eyes  gleamed  from  his  forelock,  each  a  star 
Of  lucent  hyacinth;  the  saddlecloth 
Was  woven  gold,  which  priceless  work  did  gracel 
The  lightning  goeth  not  so  fast  or  far 
As  those  broad  pinions  which  he  fluttered  forth. 

One  heel  he  smote  on  Saffi.,  and  one  heel 
On  Sinai — where  the  dint  is  to  this  day. 

•  Cf.  Eor&n,  xvU.  chapter  "  Of  the  Night  Journey." 


MCirAaLVAD'S  JOURNF.r  TO  HEAVEN.    51 

Next  at  Jenisalem  he  ntiKlud.     Our  Lord, 
Descending  with  th'  Archangel  there,  did  kneel 
Making  the  midnight  prayer;  afterwards  they 
Tethered  him  to  the  Temple  by  a  cord. 

"Ascend!"  spake  Gabriel :  iind  behold!  there  fell 
Out  of  the  sky  a  ladder  bright  and  great. 
Whereby,  with  easy  steps,  i>n  radiant  stairs. 
They  mmintcd— past  our  earth  and  heaven  and  hell — 
To  the  first  sphere,  where  Adam  kept  the  gale, 
Which  was  of  vaporous  gold  and  silvery  squares 

Here  throngetl  the  lesser  Angels:  some  took  charge 
To  fill  the  clouds  with  raiu  and  speed  lliem  round. 
And  some  to  tend  live  creatures;  for  what's  born 
Hath  guardians  there  in  its  own  shape:  a  large 
Beauteous  while  cock  crowed  matins,  at  the  sound 
Cocks  in  a  thousand  planets  hailed  the  mom. 

Unto  the  second  sphere  by  that  white  slope 
Ascended  they,  whereof  Noah  held  the  key; 
And  two-fold  was  the  throng  uf  Angels  here; 
But  all  fo  dazzling  glowed  its  fretted  cope. 
Burning  with  beams,  Muhammad  could  not  see 
What  manner  of  celestial  folk  were  there. 

The  tliird  sphere  lay  a  thousand  years  beyond 
If  thou  should'st  journey  as  the  sun-ray  doth. 
But  in  one  Futihak  clomb  they  thitherward. 
David  and  Solomon  in  union  fond 
Ruled  at  Uie  entrance,  keeping  Sabaoth 
Of  ceaseless  joy.     The  void  was  paven  hard 

With  paven  work  of  nibics — if  there  be 
Jewels  on  earth  to  liken  unto  them 


52  PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 

Which  had  such  color  as  no  goldsmith  knows— 
And  here  a  vast  Archangel  they  did  see, 
"Faithful  of  God  "  his  name,  whose  diadem 
Was  set  with  peopled  stars ;  wheref rom  arose 

Lauds  to  the  glory  of  God,  filling  the  blue 
With  lovely  music,  as  rose-gardens  fill 
A  land  with  essences;  and  young  stars,  shaking 
Tresses  of  lovely  light,  gathered  and  grew 
Under  his  mighty  plumes,  departing  still 
Like  ships  with  crews  and  treasure,  voyage-making. 

So  came  they  to  the  fourth  sphere,  where  there  sate 
Enoch,  who  never  tasted  death;  and  there 
Behind  its  portal  awful  Azrael  writes; 
The  shadow  of  his  brows  compassionate 
Made  night  across  all  worlds;  our  Lord  felt  fear. 
Marking  the  stern  eyes  and  the  hand  which  smites. 

For  always  on  a  scroll  he  sets  the  names 

Of  new-born  beings,  and  from  off  llie  scroll 

He  blotteth  who  must  die;  and  holy  tears 

Roll  down  his  cheeks,  recording  all  our  shames 

And  sins  and  penalties;  while  of  each  soul 

Monker  and  Nakir  reckon  the  arrears. 

Next,  at  the  fifth  sphere's  entry,  they  were  'ware 

Of  a  door  built  in  sapphire,  liaving  graven 

Letters  of  flashing  fire,  the  faith  unfolding, 

"  There  is  no  God  save  God."     Aaron  sate  there 

Guarding  the  "  region  of  the  wrath  of  Heaven;" 

And  Israfil  behind,  his  trumpet  holding, 

His  trumpet  holding — which  shall  wake  the  dead 
And  slay  the  living — all  his  cheek  puffed  out, 


MUHAMMAD S  JOURXEY  TO  HEAVEN.     68 

nurstiag  to  blow;  for  none  knows  Allah's  time, 
Nor  when  the  word  of  judgment  shall  be  said: 
And  darts,  and  chains  of  tlamc.  lay  all  around, 
Torriblo  tortures  for  th'  ungodly "s  crime. 

When  to  the  sixth  sphere  passed  they,  Moses  sped 
Its  bars  of  chrysoprase.  and  kissed  our  Lord, 
And  spake  full  sweet,  "Prophet  of  Allah!  thou 
More  souls  of  Ismaol's  tribes  to  tnith  hast  led. 
Than  I  of  Isaak's  '      Here  the  crystal  sword 
Of  Michael  gave  the  light  they  journeyed  through. 

But  at  the  seventh  sphere  that  light  which  shone 
Hath  not  an  earthly  name,  nor  any  voice 
Can  tell  its  splendor,  nay,  nor  any  ear 
Learn,  if  it  listened;  only  he  alone 
Who  saw  it.  knows  how  there  th'  elect  rejoice, 
Isa,  and  Ibrahim,  and  the  souls  most  dear. 

And  he,  the  glorious  regent  of  that  sphere, 
Ha»l  seventy  lliousand  heads;  and  every  head 
As  many  countenani-es;  and  each  face 
As  many  mouths;  and  in  each  mouth  there  were 
Tongues  seTenty  thousand,  whereof  each  tongue  laid. 
Ever  and  ever,  "Praise  to  Allah!  praise!" 

Here,  at  the  bound,  is  fixed  that  lotus  tree 
Sedra,  which  none  among  the  Angels  pass; 
And  not  great  Oabriel's  self  might  farther  wend: 
Yet,  led  by  presences  too  bright  to  see. 
Too  high  to  name,  on  paths  like  purple  gloss 
Our  Lord  Muhammad  journeyed  to  the  end. 

Alone!  alone!  tiirough  hosts  of  Chenibim 
Crowding  the  inllnlte  void  with  whispering  vans, 


54  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Prom  splendor  unto  splendor  still  he  sped; 

Across  the  "Lake  of  Gloom"  they  ferried  him, 

And  then  the  "  Sea  of  Glory;"  mortal  man's 

Heart  cannot  hold  the  wonders  witnessed. 

So  to  the  "Region  of  the  Veils"  he  came. 
Which  shut  all  times  off  from  eternity, 
The  bars  of  being  where  thought  cannot  reach : 
Ten  thousand  thousand  are  they,  walls  of  flame 
Lambent  with  loveliness  and  mystery, 
Ramparts  of  utmost  heaven,  having  no  breach. 

Then  he  saw  God!  our  Prophet  saw  the  Thbone!— 
O  Allah!  let  these  weak  words  be  forgiven! — 
Thou,  the  Supreme,  "the  Opener,"  spake  at  last; 
The  Throne!  the  Throne!  he  saw; — our  Lord  alone! 
Saw  it  and  heard! — but  the  verse  falls  from  heaven 
Like  a  poised  eagle,  whom  the  lightnings  blast. 


And  Gabriel  waiting  by  the  tree  he  found ; 
And  Borak,  tethered  to  the  Temple  porch ; 
He  loosed  the  horse,  and  'twixt  its  wings  ascended. 
One  hoof  it  smote  on  Zion's  hallowed  ground, 
One  upon  Sinai;  and  the  day-star's  torch 
Was  not  yet  fading  when  the  journey  ended. 


Al-Fditd'h!  "  Opener!"  we  my 
Tliy  name,  and  teorahip  Thee  alway. 


THE  ilOAKKlBAr. 


Al-'Alim!  the  "  AH-Kruneer  !"  by  this  teord 

Praite  Ibm  Who  lee*  th'  unteen,  and  hears  th'  unheurd. 

If  ye  keep  hidden  your  mind,  if  ye  decfare  it  aloud, 
Equally  God  hath  perceived,  equally  known  is  each 
llioiiglit: 
If  on  your  housetops  ye  sin,  if  in  dark  chambers  ye 
shroud. 
Equally    God    hath    beheld,    equally    judgment    is 
wrought. 

He,  without  listing,  doth  know  how  many  breathings 
ye  make : 
Numberetli  the  hairs  of  your  heads,  wolteth  the  beats 
of  your  blooti; 
Hearetli  the  feet  of  the  ant  when  she  wanders  by  night 
in  the  brake; 
Countcth  the  eggs  of  the  snake  and  the  cubs  of  the 
wolf  in  the  wood. 

Mute  the  Moakkibllt*  sit  this  side  and  that  side  of  men. 
One  on  the  right  noting  good,  and  one  on  the  left 
noting  ill; 
Each  liath  those  Angels  beside  him  who  write  with  in- 
visible pen 
Whatso  he  doeth,  or  sayeth,  or  thioketh.  recording  it 
still. 

*  These  are  the  "  Succenoni."  or  Anftel*  of  Record,  who  rellevs 
each  other  In  U>e  duty  of  ngigusxing  human  actions,  etc. 


66  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Vast  is  the  mercy  of  God,  and  when  a  man  doeth  aright, 
Glad  is  the  right-hand  Angel,  and  setteth  it  quick  on 
the  roll; 
Ten  times  he  setteth  it  down  in  letters  of  heavenly 
light, 
For  one  good  deed  ten  deeds,  and  a  hundred  for  ten 
on  the  scroll. 

But  when  one  doeth  amiss  the  right-hand  Angel  doth 
lay  • 

His  palm  on  the  left-hand  Angel  and  whispers,  "For- 
bear thy  pen! 
Peradventure  in  seven  hours  the  man  may  repent  him 
and  pray ; 
At  the  end  of  the  seventh  hour,  if  it  must  be,  witness 
it  then."* 


Al-'Alimf  Thou  Who  knowesi  all. 
With  hearts  unveiled  on  Thee  we  call. 


•  Cf.  Kor&n,  xiii.  chapter  "Of  thunder.' 


E7IL  DEEDS. 


Takbuzu  ita  Tab*utu!  fuaren  and  Ml 
lie  eUaeth  and  uneloieth — and  doth  wtU/* 

In  gold  and  silk  and  robes  of  pride 

An  cvil-heartcd  monarch  died; 

Pampered  and  arrogant  his  soul 

Quitted  the  grave.     His  eyes  did  roll 

Hither  and  thither,  deeming  some 

In  that  new  world  should  surely  come 

To  lead  his  spirit  to  a  seat 

Of  state,  for  kiiiirly  merit  meet. 

What  saw  he"?  'nvas  a  hag  so  foul 

There  is  no  Afrit.  Djin.  or  Ghoul 

With  countenance  as  vile,  or  mien 

As  fearful,  and  such  terrors  seen 

In  the  fierce  voice  and  hideous  air. 

Bloo<l  dripping  hands  and  matted  hair. 

■■  Alhih  Imve  mercy!"  cried  the  king, 

'•  Whence  and  what  art  thou,  hateful  thing?" 

"  Dost  thou  not  know — whogav'sl  me  birth?" 

Replied  the  form ;  "  thy  .lins  on  earth 

In  me  eml)o<lied  thus  behold. 

I  am  thy  wicked  work!  unfold 

Thine  arms  and  clasp  me.  for  we  two 

In  belt  must  lire  thy  sentence  through." 


'  Ct.  KoriLo,  U.  chapter  "  Of  the  Cow.' 


PEABLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Then  with  a  bitter  cry,  'tis  writ, 
The  king's  soul  passed  unto  the  pit 


AX-Kahkl  so  He  bars  the  gate 
Against  the  unregenerate. 


GOOD  DEEDS, 


Yet  Hi  vho  ihul*  the  gate,  jiut  lerath  to  ter«aX; 
Unbart  it,  fuU  of  merq/,  to  the  meek. 

There  died  upon  the  Miraj  night, 

A  man  of  Mecca,  Amru  height; 

Faithful  and  true,  patient  and  pure, 

Had  been  his  years;  he  did  endure 

In  war  five  spear-wounds,  and  in  peace 

Long  journeying  for  his  tribe's  increase; 

And  ever  of  his  gains  lie  gave 

Unto  poor  brethren — kind  as  brave: 

But  these  forsook,  and  age  and  toil 

Drained  the  strong  heart  as  tiames  drink  oil; 

Till,  lone  and  friendless,  gray  and  spent — 

A  Ihorntrec's  shadow  for  his  tent, 

And  desert  sand  for  dying-bed— 

Amru  the  camel-mau  lay  dead. 

What  is  it  that  the  'Hadllh  saith? 

Even  while  the  true  eyes  glazed  in  death, 

And  the  warm  heart  wearied,  and  beat 

The  last  dnim  of  iu  long  defeat, 

An  Angel,  lighting  on  the  sand. 

Took  Amnr<  spirit  by  the  hand, 

And  gently  spake.  "  Dear  brother,  cornel 

A  sore  road  thou  didst  journey  home; 


PEABL8  OF  THE  FAITH. 

But  life's  dry  desert  thou  hast  passed, 
And  Zem-Zem  sparkles  nigh  at  last." 
Then  -with  swift  flight  those  twain  did  rise 
Unto  the  gates  of  Paradise, 
Which  opened,  and  the  Angel  gave 
A  golden  granate,  saying,  "  Cleave 
This  fruit,  my  brother!"    But  its  scent 
So  heavenly  seemed,  and  so  intent, 
So  rapt  was  Amru,  to  behold 
The  great  fruit's  rind  of  blushing  gold 
And  emerald  leaves — he  dared  not  touch, 
Murmuring,  "O  Malik!  'tis  too  much 
That  I  am  here,  with  eyes  so  dim. 
And  grace  all  fled."    Then  bade  they  him 
Qaie  in  the  stream  which  glided  stilly, 
'Mid  water-roses  and  white  lily. 
Under  those  lawns  and  smiling  skies 
That  make  delight  in  Paradise; 
When,  lo!  the  presence  imaged  there 
Was  of  such  comeliness,  no  peer 
Among  those  glorious  Angels  stood 
To  Amru,  mirrored  in  the  flood. 


"I!  is  it  I?"  he  cried  i 
"Am  I  so  changed  from  toil  and  sadness?" 
"  This  was  thy  hidden  self,"  replied 
The  Angels.     "  So  shalt  thou  abide 
By  our  bright  river  evermore ; 
And  in  tliat  fair  fruit's  secret  core — 
Which  on  the  Tree  of  Life  hath  grown — 
Another  marvel  shall  be  shown. 
Ah,  happy  Amru!  cleave!"    He  clove: — 
Sweet  miracle  of  bliss  and  love! 


GOOD  DEEDS. 

Forth  from  the  pomegranate  there  grew, 
As  from  its  bud  a  rose  breaks  through, 
A  lovely,  stately.  lustrous  maiil, 
Whose  black  orbs  long  silk  lashes  abade. 
Whose  beauty  was  so  rich  to  see 
No  verse  can  tell  it  worthily ; 
Nor  is  there  found  in  any  place 
One  like  her  for  the  perfect  prac« 
Of  soft  arms  wreathed  and  ripe  lips  moving 
In  accents  musical  and  loving; 
For  thus  she  spake:  "  Peace  l>c  to  thee. 
My  Amru!"     Then,  with  quick  cry,  he: 
"  Who  art  thou,  blessed  one?  what  name 
Wearest  thou?  teach  my  tongue  to  frame 
This  worship  of  my  heart."    Said  she, 
"  Thy  good  deeds  gave  me  being:  see, 
If  in  my  beauty  tliou  hast  pleasure, 
How  the  Most  High  doth  truly  treastire 
Joy  for  his  scr^-ants.     Murzieh  I— 
She  that  doth  love  and  satisfy — 
And  I  am  made  by  Allah's  hand 
Of  ambergris  and  musk,  to  stand 
Beside  thee,  soothing  thee,  and  tending 
In  comfort  and  in  peace  unending." 

So  hand  in  hand,  'tis  writ,  they  went 
To  those  bright  bowers  of  high  content. 


AUBdtit!  thut  Hi  open*  w\ 
Si*  meroM  to  thejutUJitd. 


PEABLS  OP  THE  FAITH. 


Al-Khdfiz  A  the  "Abaser!"  praise  herdry 
Him  Wlix)  doth  mock  at  earthly  mqjesty. 

Heabd  ye  of  Nimrud?    Cities  fell  before  him; 

Shinar,  from  Accad  to  the  Indian  Sea, 
His  garden  was;  as  God,  men  did  adore  him; 

Queens  were  his  slaves,  and  Idngs  his  vassalry. 

Eminent  on  his  car  of  carven  brass. 

Through  f  oeman's  blood  nave-deep  he  drave  his  wheel ; 
And  not  a  lion  in  the  river  grass 

Could  keep  its  shaggy  fell  from  Nimrlid's  steel. 

But  he  scorned  Allah,  schemed  a  tower  to  invade  Him; 

Dreamed  to  scale  Heaven,  and  measure  might  with 
God; 
Heaped  high  the  foolish  clay  wherefrom  We  made  him. 

And  built  thereon  his  seven-fold  house  of  the  clod. 

Therefore,  the  least  Our  messengers  among. 
We  sent; — a  gray  gnat  dancing  in  the  reeds: 

Into  his  ear  she  crept,  buzzing. — and  stung. 
So  perished  mighty  Nimriid  and  his  deeds. 


0  Thou  Abaser  of  aU  pride! 
Mighty  Ttwu  art,  and  none  betide. 


ALLAWS  PKOPUETS. 


ArR/lfi.'  the  "EinUer!"  Uud  TlimiO 
Wlu>  lortt  the  humble  and  lijls  up  the  lore. 

Whom  hath  He  chosen  for  His  priests  and  preacners. 
Lords  who  were  eminent,  or  men  of  might! 

Nay,  but  consider  how  He  seeks  His  teachers. 
Hidden,  like  rubies  unaware  of  light. 

Ur  of  the  Chaldees!  what  chance  to  discover 
Th'  elect  of  Heaven  in  Azar's  leathern  tentT 

But  Allah  saw  his  child,  and  friend,  and  lover, 
And  Abraham  was  born,  and  scaled,  and  sent. 

The  babe  committed  to  th'  Egyptian  waterl 
Knew  any  that  the  tide  of  Nilus  laved 

The  hope  of  Israel  there?  yet  Pharaoh's  daughter 
Found  the  frail  ark,  and  so  was  Moses  saved. 

Low  \ies  the  Syrian  town  behind  the  mountain 
Where  Mary,  meek  and  spotless,  knelt  that  mom, 

And  saw  the  splendid  Angel  by  the  fountain. 
And  heard  his  voice,  "Lord  Isa  shall  be  bom!" 

Nay,  and  Muhammad  (blessed  may  he  be  I), 

Atxlallah's  and  Amtnah'a  holy  son. 
Whom  black  Hallmah  nursed,  the  Bedawce, 

Where  lived  a  lonelier  or  a  humbler  one? 


64  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Think  how  Tie  led  the  camels  of  Khadljah, 
Poor,  but  illumined  by  the  light  of  Heaven; 

Mightier  than  Noah,  or  Enoch,  or  Elijah, 
Our  holy  Prophet  to  Arabia  given. 

Man  knew  him  not,  wrapped  in  his  cloth,  and  weeping 
Lonely  on  HirS  all  that  wondrous  night; 

But  Allah  for  his  own  our  Lord  was  keeping:— 

"Rise,  thou   enwrapped  one!"  Gabriel  spake,  "and 


Saw  God  there  is  none  high  at  aU, 
Nor  any  loio  whom  He  doth  caU. 


8URA  "  01''  IMRAJf'S  FAMILY.' 


Al-Muhitt !  by  thi*  titU  eeUbraU 

The  •'  lionorer"  Whote  favor  maketh grtat. 

Say  "QoU,"  say  "  Lord  of  alll 
Kingdoms  and  kings  Thou  inakcst  and  unmakest, 
Thia  oDC  TUou  takcsc,  Uuit  oae  Thou  forsakest; 

Alike  arc  great  and  small ; 

Into  Thy  hand  they  fall." 

■'  In  Thy  dread  hand  they  rest; 
Their  nighu  and  days,  llieir  wiiking  and  their  sleeping, 
Their  birth,  and  life,  and  death  lie  in  Thy  keeping; 

'  Be  thus '  to  each  Thou  say'st, 

And  thus  to  be  is  best, 

"Though  it  seem  good  or  ill. 
Itlim! — to  Thee  our  souls  we  do  resign. 
Turning  our  faces  to  the  blessed  shrine; 

Sei-king  no  honor  still 

Save  from  Thy  will."* 


AUMuhiu!  only  thi»  tetpray 
To  learn  Thy  toiU  and  to  obty. 


•  Cf.  Kor&n.  111.  chapter  "  Of  Imraa'*  Family.' 


fEABLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


0,  AtrMu^!  what  if  it  be  Thy  will, 
Having  made  man,  to  lead  him.  into  iUf 

Saith  the  Perspicuous  Book:  "  All  things  which  be  are 
of  God; 
Neither,  except  by  His  word,  falleth  a  leaf  to  the 
ground ; 
If  He  will  open  He  openeth,  and  whom  He  hath  blinded 
He  blindeth, 
Leading,     misleading;    to    none    liable,     blamable, 
bound."* 

Saith  the  Perspicuous  Book:  "  Tied  on  the  neck  of  a 
man 
Hangeth  the  scroll  of  his  fate,  not  a  line  to  be  gain- 
said or  grudged ; 
When  the  trumpet  of  Isranl  thunders,  the  Angels  will 
show  it  and  say. 
Read    there  what  thine  own    deeds    have    written; 
thyself  by  thyself  shall  be  judged,  "-j- 

Wilt  thou  be  wiser  than  God  Who  knoweth  beginning 
and  cud? 
Wilt  thou  be  juster  than  He  whose  balance  is  turned 
by  a  sigh? 


•  Cf .  Koran,  iu.  chapter  "  Of  Imran's  Family." 
tCf.  Koran,  xvii.  chapter  "  Of  the  Night  Journey.' 


OOD'S    WILL  AND  FREE-WILL.  67 

H«  sayeth,  "  It  shall  not  be  equal  for  the  doera  of  right 
and  of  wrong." 
"It  shall  not  bo  equal,"  Ho  sayctb,  "  for  them  that 
accept  and  deny."  * 


AUMuzil!  lead  us  net  attray  ! 
Ttath  us  to  find  the  per/eft  teay. 


'  Cf .  Korin,  eodem  loco. 


PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 


As-Sami'h!  0  Thou  Hearer!  none  mn  be 
So  far,  his  crying  doth  not  come  to  Thee. 

Writes  in  his  Mesnevl,  Jelalu-'d-deen: 

There  came  a  man  of  Yaman,  poor  and  old, 

To  Mecca,  making  pilgrimage;  untaught, 

A  shepherd  of  the  liills.     Humble  he  trod 

The  six  mikat,  the  stages  of  the  Had j ; 

Humbly  indued  the  ihram.  garb  of  faith 

Which  hath  no  seam;  made  due  ablutions,  kissed 

The  black  stone;  then  three  times  with  hastening  feet 

Circled  the  Kaabah,  and  four  times  paced 

With  slackened  gate  the  tawaf,  as  is  due, 

(I'or  such  observances  the  MoUah  taught). 

But,  when  he  bowed  before  the  Holy  Place, 

Thus  brake  his  soul  from  him,  knowing  no  prayer, 

Full  of  God's  love,  though  ignorant  of  God: 

"O  Master!  O  my  Sheikh!  where  tarriest  Thou? 

Show  me  Thy  face  tliat  I  may  worship  Thee, 

May  toil  Thy  servant,  which  I  am  in  heart: 

Ah  !  let  me  sew  Thy  shoes,  anoint  Thine  hair, 

Wash  Thy  soiled  robes,  and  serve  Thee  daily  up 

My  she-goats'  freshest  milk — I  love  thee  sol 

Where  hidest  Thou,  that  I  may  kiss  Thine  hand, 

Chafe  Thy  dear  feet,  and  ere  Thou  takest  rest — 

In  the  gold  sky,  beside  Thy  sun,  belike, 


A  SHEPHSRDfS  PRATER.  69 

Among  the  soft-spread  fleeces  nf  Thy  clouds — 
Sweep  out  Thy  chamber,  O  my  joy,  my  Kingl* 

Which  hearing,  they  who  kept  the  shrino.  incensed. 
Had  haled  him  lo  the  gnioway.  crying,  '.Dogl 
What  blasplicray  is  this  lliou  utterest, 
Snyiiic;  such  things  of  Him  Thiit  linth  no  needs 
Of  nourisbinenl,  nor  clothinir.  nor  repose. 
Nor  hands,  nor  feet,  nor  any  form  or  frame; 
That  thou,  base  keeper  of  the  silly  herd, 
ShouUlst  proffer  service  to  the  All  Powerful? 
Meet  were  it  that  we  stoned  thee  dead  with  stones, 
Who  art  accursed  and  injurious. 
Beyond!  these  holy  walls  are  not  for  thee." 

So,  sore  abashed,  that  shepherd  made  to  go, 
Silent  and  weepin:;:  but  our  Prophet  marked, 
And  with  mild  eyes  smiled  on  ihc  man;  then  spake 
To  those  that  drove  him  forth:  "  Ye,  when  ye  pray 
OuUide  this  holy  place,  in  distant  lauds. 
Whither  turn  ye  your  faces?"     Each  one  said, 
"  Unto  the  K.-uibiib."     "  Ami  when  ye  pray. 
Within  the  blessed  precincts,  pilgrims  here. 
Which  way  lies  Mecca ?"     "  All  is  sacred  here," 
They  answered,  "and  it  matters  nought  which  way." 
"Ijo!  now  ye  reason  well,"  replied  our  Lord; 
"Inside  the  Koabali  it  matters  nought 
Whither  men  turn ;  and  in  the  secret  place 
Of  perfect  love  for  Qod,  words  arc  as  breath 
And  will  Ls  all.     This  simple  shepherd's  prayer 
Came  unto  Allah's  cars  clearer  than  yours, 
Natliless  his  ignorance,  liecause  hi.'*  heart — 
Not  tongue,  not  understaudiug — uttered  it. 


»  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITS. 

Make  room  for  God's  poor  lover  nighest  me; 
Good  fellowship  hath  any  man  with  him 
To  wliom  Heaven's  ear  as  quick  inclines  itself 
Aa  doth  a  mother's  when  her  babe  lisps  love." 

Then  were  they  sore  ashamed  in  that  hour. 


marer  ofJiearU!  AsSami'M  so 
Our  love  inspire,  and  Thine  bestow. 


AZRAEL  Ayi)   rilE  ISDIAN  PUINCE.     71 


At-Batir!  0  Thou  Seer!  great  and  tmal 
Lite  in  Thy  vitifin,  u?ueh  fmbraceth  all. 

Wbre  it  one  wasted  seed  of  water-grass, 
Blown  by  the  wind,  or  buried  in  the  sand, 
He  sccth  and  ordaiuetli  if  it  live; 
Were  it  a  wild  bee  questing  houcy-buds. 
He  8eetli  if  she  find,  and  how  she  comes 
On  busy  winslcts  to  her  hollow  tree. 
The  seeing  of  His  eyes  should  not  be  told. 
Though  all  the  reeds  in  all  the  earth  were'cut 
To  writing  sticks,  and  all  the  seven  seas 
Were  seven  times  multiplied,  flowing  with  ink. 
And  seventy  angels  wrote.     He  beholdii  all 
Which  was,  or  is,  or  will  be:  yea,  with  Him 
Is  present  vision  of  five  secret  things: 
The  day  of  Judgment;  and  the  times  of  rain; 
The  child  hid  in  the  womb — is  quickcuring, 
And  whether  male  or  female; — what  will  fall 
To-morrow  (as  ye  know  what  did  iHjfall 
Yesterday);  and  where  every  man  shall  die.* 

"  Where  every  man  shall  die."     Al  BeidhSwi 
Presentcth  how  there  sate  with  Sofomon 
A  prince  of  India,  and  there  passed  them  by 
Azracl,  Angel  of  Death,  on  shadowy  plumes; 


72  PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 

With  great  eyes  gazing  earnestly,  as  one 

Who  wonders,  gazing.     And,  because  the  prince 

Sate  with  the  king,  he  saw  what  the  king  saw, 

The  Djins  and  Angels,  and  saw  Azrael 

Fixing  on  him  those  awful  searching  eyes. 

"  What  name,  I  pray  thee,  wears  yon  messenger?" 

So  asked  he  of  the  king;  and  Solomon 

Made  answer,  "  It  is  Azrael,  who  calls 

The  souls  of  men."     "He  seamed,"  whispered  the 

prince, 
"  To  have  an  errand  unto  me;— bid  now 
That  one  among  thy  demon  ministers 
Waft  me,  upon  the  swiftest  wing  that  beats. 
To  India,  for  I  fear  him."    Solomon 
Issued  command,  and  a  swift  Djin  sprang  forth 
Bearing  the  prince  aloft,  so  that  he  came 
To  Coromandel,  ere  the  fruit— which  fell 
Out  of  the  fig— had  touched  the  marble  floor. 

Thereupon  Azrael  said  to  Solomon. 

"  I  looked  thus  earnestly  upon  the  man 

In  wonder,  for  my  Lord  spake,  •  Take  his  soul 

In  India; '  yet  behold  he  talked  with  thee 

Here  in  Judaea!    Now,  see!  he  hath  gone 

There  where  it  was  commanded  he  should  die." 

Then  followed  Azrael.     In  that  hour  the  prince 
Died  of  a  hurt,  sitting  in  India. 


With,  Thee,  Lord,  be  the  time  and  place. 
So  that  we  die  in  Thy  dear  grace. 


TUt:  LAST  DAY. 


Allliikim!  think  upon  the  Day  of  Doom, 

And  fear  "  tha  Judge  "  before  Whom  all  mutt  eome. 

When  the  sun  is  withered  up. 

And  the  stars  from  Heaven  roll; 

When  the  mountains  quake, 

Anil  ye  let  stray  your  she-camels,  gone  ten  months  In  foal ; 

When  wild  beasts  Book 

With  the  people  and  the  cattle 

lu  terror,  in  amazement. 

And  the  seas  boil  and  rattle; 

And  the  dead  souls 

For  their  botiies  seek; 

And  the  child  vilely  slain 

Is  hid  to  speak, 

Ik'ing  asked,  "  Who  killed  thee,  little  maid? 

Tell  us  his  name!" 

While  the  hooks  arc  unsealed, 

.Vnd  crimson  flame 

Klayeth  tlie  skin  of  the  skies. 

And  Hell  breaks  ablaze; 

And  Paradise 

Optus  lirr  iK'autifiil  gales  to  the  gaze; — 

Then  shall  each  sonl 

Know  the  issues  of  the  whole, 

And  the  balance  of  its  scroll.* 

•  Cf.  Korta,  Izzzi.  chapter  "  0(  the  FoUlng  Up." 


74  PEABL8  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Shall  We  swear  by  the  stars 

Which  fade  away? 

By  the  Night  drowned  in  darkness, 

By  the  dead  Day? 

We  swear  notl  a  true  thing  is  this; 

It  standeth  sure, 

He  saw  it  and  he  heard,  and  Our  word 

Will  endure ! 

When  the  sky  cleaves  asunder, 

And  the  stars 

Are  scattered;  and  in  thunder 

All  the  bars 

Of  the  seas  burst,  and  all  the  graves  are  emptied 

Like  chests  upturned, 

Each  soul  shall  see  her  doings,  done  and  undone. 

And  what  is  earned. 

The  smiting,  the  smiting 

Of  that  Day! 

The  horror,  the  splendor. 

Who  shall  say?  * 

The  Day  when  none  shall  answer  for  his  brother; 

The  Day  which  is  with  God,  and  with  none  other. 


AUHdkim!  Judge!  Save  by  Thy  power. 
Who  might  abide  that  awful  haurt 


•  Ct.  Kor&n,  Ixxrii.  chapter  "  Of  aesving  Asunder.' 


emu  '•  OF  JONAS." 


AinddHf  O"  Jutt  Lord!"  tot  magnify 

Thy  righUou*  Lau>,  which  shall  the  tehoU  world  tri/. 

God  will  roll  up.  when  this  world's  end  npproachcth, 
The  broad  blue  spangled  liangings  of  the  sky, 

Even  as  As-8igill  •  rolleth  up  his  record, 
And  seals  and  binds  it  when  a  man  doth  die. 

Then  the  false  worshippers,  and  what  they  follow, 

Will  to  the  pit.  like  "stones  of  hell."  descend; 
But  tme  Iwlievcrs  slmll  hear  Angels  laying, 
"This  is  your  day;  be  joyous  without  end."f 

In  that  hour  dust  shall  lie  on  many  faces. 
And  may  faces  shall  be  glad  and  bright;  % 

Ye  who  believe,  trust  and  be  patient  always. 
Until  God  judges,  for  He  judges  right.  § 


Qite  u$  to  pan  before  Thy  throne 
Among  the  number  of  Thine  oten! 


•  A  Damx  of  the  Anfcrl  of  Rpirliitrmtion. 
t  Cf.  KorAii.  xxl.  chapter  "  Of  the  I 
I  Cf.  Korin,  Ixxr.  rhaplpr  "  Of  the  Frown.' 
I  Cf.  KortD,  z.  chapter  "  Of  Jonaa." 


PEARLS  OF  Tim  FAITH. 


Dread  is  Eh  wrath,  but  boundless  is  Sis  grace, 
Al-Latif!  Lord!  show  us  Thy  " favoring"  feu. 

Most  quick  to  pardon  sins  is  He: 
Who  unto  God  draws  near 

One  forward  step,  God  taketh  three 
To  meet,  and  quit  his  fear. 

If  ye  will  have  of  this  world's  show, 
God  grants,  while  Angels  weep; 

If  ye  for  Paradise  will  sow. 
Right  noble  crops  ye  reap.* 


Ah,  Qradous  One,  we  toU  to  reap : 
Tiie  soil  is  hard,  th«  way  is  steep  ! 


MCUAMMAD  IN  THE  CBMETKRY. 


AUKhabir!  Thou  Who  art   •  axeare"  of  aU, 
By  thia  name  alto  for  Thy  ffrace  ice  call. 

Okr  inorniDg  iu  Medina  wnlked  our  Lord 
Among  Ibe  loinbs:  glad  was  the  dawn,  and  broad 
On  headstones  and  on  footstones siinebine  lay; 
Earth  seemed  so  fair,  'twas  hanl  to  lie  away. 
"  O  people  of  the  graves!"  Muliamnind  said, 
'•  Petce  be  with  you!    Your  caravan  of  dead 
Hnlh  passed  the  defile,  and  we  living  ones 
Fiirgi-t  what  men  ye  were,  of  whom  the  sons, 
And  what  your  merchandise  and  where  ye  went; 
But  Allah  knows  these  things!     Be  ye  co'  tent 
S  nee  Albdi  is  'aware.'     Ah!  Qod  forgive 
Those  that  arc  dead,  and  us  who  briefly  live." 


Te-i .'  pardon.  Lord,  tinct  TItou  dott  hnoa 
Tomorrow,  now,  and  long  ago. 


PEABLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Al-HMm  !  "  Clement"  is  our  Lord  above  ; 
Magnify  Allah  by  this  name  of  love. 

Ye  know  the  ant  that  creeps  upon  the  fig, 

The  dharra,  made  so  small, 
Until  she  moveth  in  the  purple  seeds 

She  is  not  seen  at  all. 

If,  on  the  judgment-day,  holding  the  scales — 

When  aU  the  trial's  done — 
The  Angel  of  the  Balance  crieth,  "Lord! 

The  good  deeds  of  this  one 

Outweigh  his  evil  deeds,  justly  assessed, 

By  half  one  dharra's  weight;" 
Allah  will  say,  "  Multiply  good  to  him. 

And  open  Heaven's  gate!" 

Not  if  thy  work  be  worth  a  date-stone's  skin 

Shall  it  be  overpast ; 
Thus  it  is  written  in  the  Sacred  Book,* 

Thus  will  it  be  at  last. 


• 


Faithful  and  just,  Al-Hdlim  !  we 
Take  refuge  in  TJiy  clemency. 


•  Ct  Kor&n,  iv.  chapter  •'  Of  Women.' 


SURA  " OF  al-akhaf: 


AWAtb!  "  Stnmg  and  Sovereign"  Ood.  Thy  Juind 
It  over  all  Thy  tcorht,  holding  command. 

Makxr  of  all  ye  truly  call  the  Strong  and  Sovereign 

One, 
Yet  have  ye  read  that  ve«e  which  saith  whereto  His 

work  was  done? 
Open    "the  Book,"  and,  heedful,  look  what  weighty 

words  are  given 
(The    Chapter   of     AJ-Akhflf)    concerning  Earth   and 

Heaven. 

"The   Heavens  and    earth,"   Al-Akhftf    saith,    "and 

whatso  is  between, 
Think  ye  that  We  made  these  to  be,  and  then— not  to 

have  been? 
Think   ye   We  fashioned  them   in  Jest,  without  their 

times,  and  plan. 
And  purpose?    Nay  I  accurst  are  they  who  judge  of 

God  by  man."* 


0  Higher,  Witer,  t?uin  we  knou. 
Let  not  Ihy  ereaturet  judge  Thee  to. 


>  a.  Korin,  xlvL  ohaplar  "  0(  AlAkhAt" 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


He  is  tlie  "Pardoner,"  and  his  Scripture  Tuith— 
"  Paradise  is  for  them  that  check  tlieir  wrath, 
And  pardon  sins;  so  Allah  doth  wUh  souls; 
He  loieth  best  him  who  himself  controls."  * 

Know  ye  of  Hassan's  slave?    Hassan  the  son 

Of  Ali.     In  the  camp  at  Ras-al-hadd 

He  made-  a  banquet  unto  sheikhs  and  lords, 

Rich  dressed  and  joyous;  and  a  slave  bore  round, 

Smoking  with  new-cooked  pillaw,  Badhan's  dish 

Carved  from  rock-crystal,  with  the  feet  in  gold. 

And  garuets  round  the  rim ;  but  the  boy  slipped 

Against  the  tent-rope,  and  the  precious  dish 

Broke  into  shards  of  beauty  on  the  board. 

Scalding  the  son  of  Ali.     One  guest  cried, 

"Dog!  wert  thou  mine,  for  this  thing  thou  shouldst 

howl!" 
Another,  ""Wretch!  thou  meri  test  to  die." 
And  yet  another,  "Hassan!  give  me  leave 
To  smite  away  this  swine's  head  with  my  swordl" 
Even  Hassan's  self  was  moved ;  but  the  boy  fell 
Face  to  the  earth  and  cried,  "My  lord!  'tis  writ, 
'Paradise  is  for  them  that  c?uck  their  wrath.' " 
"  "P»  writ  so, "  Hassan  said;  "  I  am  not  wroth." 
"  My  lord!"  the  boy  sobbed  on,  "also  'tis  writ, 
•  Pardon  the  trespasser.' "    Hassan  replied, 

*  Cf.  Eorin,  iii.  chapter  "  Of  Imran's  Family." 


HASajjrS  SLATE.  81 

•"Tis  written— I  remember— I  foi^TO." 

"  Now  is  the  blessiog  of  the  Moat  High  God 

On  Ihee,  dear  maatcr!"  cried  the  happy  slare, 

"  For  He — 'tis  writ — '  /or<,<  M<'  bmrficent.' " 

"  Yeal  I  remt-mber,  and  I  thank  thee,  slave," 

Quoth  Hassan;—"  better  is  one  noble  verse 

Fetched  from  '  the  Book,'  than  gold  and  crystal  brought 

From  Yaman's  hills.     Lords !  he  hath  marred  the  dish, 

But  mended  fault  with  wisdom.     See,  my  slave  I 

I  give  thee  freedom,  and  this  purse  to  buy 

The  robe  and  turban  of  a  Muslim  freed." 


AUOMfir!  pardon  ut,  a*  ue 
Fbrgi^  <*  brotiwr't  ir\jury. 


PEABLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 


"  Ch-aiefuV'—Ash-SMkir—is  Ee;  praise  Hi 
Who  thanketh  men  for  that  Ee  did  beitow. 

So  much  hast  thou  of  thy  hoard 
As  thou  gavest  to  Xhj  Lord; 
Only  this  will  bring  thee  in 
Usance  rich  and  free  from  sin: 
Send  thy  silver  on  before, 
Lending  to  His  sick  and  poor. 
Every  dirhem  dropped  in  alms 
Touches  Allah's  open  palms, 
Ere  it  fall  into  the  hands 
Of  thy  brother.     Allah  stands 
Begging  of  thee,  when  thy  brother 
Asketh  help.     Ah!  if  another 
Proffered  thee,  for  meat  and  drink. 
Food  upon  Al-KSuthar's  brink,* 
•   Shining  KSuthar  which  doth  flow 
Sweet  as  honey,  cool  as  snow, 
White  as  milk,  and  smooth  as  cream, 
Underneath  its  banks,  which  gleam-r- 
Green  and  golden  chrysolite,     ' 
Id  the  Gardens  of  delight. 
Whence  who  drinks  never  again 
Tasteth  sorrow,  age,  or  pain — 

»Cf.  Korftn,  cviii. 


SURA   "OF  AL-KAUTEAR" 

■WTio  would  not  make  merchandise, 
Buying  bliss  in  Paradise, 
Laying  up  his  treasure  where 
Stores  are  safe  and  profits  clearT 
But  ye  lend  at  lower  coat. 
Whilst  Ash-Shakir  offers  most, 
Good  returning  seven  times  seven, 
Paying  gifts  of  earth  with  lleaven. 


Allah,  Who  dott  rmoard  no  teell. 
What  maketh  man  in  sin  to  dieellf 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


AW  Halt!  0  beUeven,  magnify 

By  this  great  name,  Allah,  our  Lord  "  Most  High." 

He  willed,  and  Heaven's  blue  arch  vaulted  the  air; 

"Be!"  said  He — Earth!*  and  the  round  earth  was 
made; 
See!  at  the  hour  of  late  and  early  prayer 

The  very  shadows  worship  Him,  low  laid. 

Most  High  !  the  lengthening  shadows  teach 
Morning  and  evening  prayer  to  each. 


*  Ct.  Koran,  xvl.  chapter  "  Of  the  Bee.' 


TUB  SEVEN  UKAVENS. 


Praite  /Tim,  Al-Kabir,  tMUd  on  "the  Throne," 
The  •'  Very  Ureal,"  the  llighejtalted  One. 

Sevks  Heavens  Allah  made: 
First  ••  Paradise.  "  the  Jennat-al- Firdaua ; 

The  next.  At  Uuld,  "Gate  of  Eternity;" 
The  third,  Dar-atSiUim,  the  "  Peaceful  House;" 

The  fourth,  Dar-alKurdr,  "Felicity;" 
The  fifth  was  Aidenn.  "  Home  of  Golden  Light;" 

The  sixth,  Al  Ji'a'him,  "Garden  of  Uclij:ht;" 
The  seventh,  AllliUiyun.  "  Footstool  of  the  Throne;" 
And,  each  and  every  one, 
Sphere  above  sphere,  and  treasure  over  treasure, 
The  great  decree  of  God  made  for  reward  and  pleasure. 

Saith  the  Perspicuous  Book: • 

"Look  up  to  Heaven!  look  I 

Dost  thou  see  tlaw  or  fault 

In  that  vast  vault. 
Spangled  with  silvery  lamps  of  night, 
Or  gilded  with  glad  light 
Of  sunrise,  or  of  sunset,  or  wann  noonT 

Rounded  He  well  the  moon? 
Kindled  He  wisely  the  red  Ixird  of  Day? 

Look  twice!  look  thrice,  and  say!" 

•  Cf.  Kor4n.  Ixrll 


86  PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 

Thy  weak  gaze  fails; 
Eyesight  is  drowned  in  yon  abyss  of  blue; 
Ye  see  the  glory,  but  ye  see  not  through: 

God's  greatness  veils 
Its  greatness  by  its  greatness — all  that  wonder 
Lieth  the  lowest  of  those  Heavens  under. 

Beyond  which  Angels  view 
Allah,  and  Allah's  mighty  works,  asunder; 
The  thronged  clouds  whisper  of  it  when  they  thunder. 


Allah  Kabir  !  in  siUnce  we 
Meditate  on  Thy  majesty. 


SURA  ■•  OF  Tilt:  Mour  star: 


AUndfiz  !  0  "  Pretervtr!"  sueeor  'um 
Wfio  hnnMy  trwitful,  cry  unto  Thee  thui. 

Bt  the  Sky  and  the  Night  start 
By  Al-TJrek  the  white  star! 

Shining  clear — 
When  darkness  covers  man  and  beast — 

To  proclaim  dawn  near. 
And  the  gold  sun  hastening  fro^i  the  east, 
We  have  set  a  guard  upon  you,  every  one; 

Be  ye  not  afraid ! 
Of  seed  from  loins,  and  milk  from  bosom-bone. 

Ye  were  made : 
We  are  able  to  remake  you,  when  ye  die, 

For  cold  death 
Cometh  forth  from  Us,  as  warm  life  cometb 

And  gift  of  breath. 
Do  the  darkness  and  the  terror  plot  against  you? 

We  also  plan : 
They  that  love  you  arc  stronger  than  your  haters. 

Tnist  Ood,  O  man  1  • 


"  Ta  Ilafiz  !  "  on  your  (Uxrr»  yf  grarr  , 
In  your  htartt,  too'  Oie$e  $cripture»  havef 


>  ex.  Korta  IzzztL  diaptw  "  Of  th*  Hlfbt  8Ur.' 


PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 


Praiu  Al-MukU,  the  great  "  JIaintainer  f"  He 
Made  us,  and  makes  our  smstenan.ce  to  be. 

The  chapter  of  the  "Inevitable:"*  We  gave 
The  life  ye  live;  why  doubt  ye  We  caa  save 

What  ouce  hath  been  from  vrasting — if  We  wiD — 
When,  like  dry  corn,  man  lieth  in  his  grave? 

Did  ye  cause  seed  to  grow,  or  was  it  We,— 
Wherefrom  spring  all  the  many  lives  that  be? 

Who  stirred  the  pulse  which  couples  man  and  maid, 
And  in  the  fruit  hid  that  which  forms  the  tree? 

Ye  go  afield  to  scatter  grain,  and  then 

Sleep,  while  We  change  it  into  bread  for  men; 

Have  ye  bethought  why  seed  should  shoot,  not  sand. 
Granite,  or  gravel?    Why  the  gentle  rain 

Falleth  so  clean  and  sweet  from  out  Our  sky, 
Which  might  be  salt  and  black  and  bitter?    Why 

The  soft  clouds  gather  it  from  off  the  seas 
To  spread  it  o'er  the  pastures  by  and  by? 

The  flame  ye  strike  rubbing  Afar  and  Jlarkh.f 
Have  ye  considered  that  strange  j-ellow  spark? 

Did  ye  conceive  such  marvel,  or  did  We 
Grant  it,  to  warm  and  cheermen  in  the  dark? 


•  Kor&n,  Ivi. 

t  The  woods  used  by  the  ancient  Arabs  to  kindle  fire. 


aURA   "OF  TUK  INEVITABLE." 

Not  now,  but  when  the  soul  comes  to  the  neck. 
The  meaning  of  those  mercies  each  shall  reck. 
Then  are  We  nearest,  though  ye  see  it  not; 
Can  ye  that  summoned  spirit  order  back? 


Nay.  AlMukit!  in  Ufe  and  death 
Thine  art  im  ;  Truth  Thy  Scripture  i 


PEABLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Laud  Him  as  "  Betkoner,"  casting  up  ih'  account. 
And  makiny  little  merits  largely  mount. 

Give  more  than  thou  takest: 
If  one  shall  salute  thee. 

Saying,  "  Peace  be  upon  thee," 
The  salute  which  thou  makest, 

Speak  it  friendlier  still, 

As  beseemeth  goodwill; 
Saying,  "Peace,  too,  and  love 
From  Allah  above 

Be  with  thee:"— for  heard 

Is  eacli  brotherly  word; 
And  it  shall  not  be  lost 
That  thou  gavest  him  most.  * 


Ta  Hasib  !  praise  to  TJux  ;  for  aU 


Our, 


must  be  so  small. 


Koran,  iv.  chapter  "  Of  Women." 


THE  ROSKOAUDEN. 


Al-Jamil!  "  the  Btiiigi,  ;"  ah.  name  mott  dear, 
WhieA  bidt  u»  loee  and  xeorthip  without  fear. 

Too  much  yc  tremble,  too  much  fear  to  feel 
That  jciirning  love  which  AUnh's  laws  reveal; 
Too  oft  forget — your  troubled  jouruey  through — 
He  who  is  Power,  is  Grace  and  Beauty  too, 
And  Clemency,  ami  I'ity,  and  Pure  Rest, 
The  Highest  and  the  Uttermost  and  Best; 
Sweeter  than  honey,  and  more  dear  to  see 
Than  any  loveliness  on  land  or  sea 
By  bard  or  lover  praised,  or  famed  in  story; 
For  these  were  shadows  of  Ilia  perfect  glory; 
Which  is  not  told,  because,  who  sees  God  near 
Loseth  the  speech  to  speak,  in  loving  fear. 
So  joyous  is  he,  so  astonished. 

Hath  there  come  to  ye  what  the  Dervish  said 
A".  Kaisareya,  in  the  marble  shrine. 
Who  woke  from  vision  of  the  love  divine? 
"  I  have  seen  Allah!"  quoth  he — all  a  glow 
With  splendor  of  the  dream  which  filled  him  so— 
"Yea!  I  have  r>aced  the  Garden  of  Delight, 
And  heard  and  known  I" 

"  Impart  to  na  thy  light," 
His  fellows  cried. 

He  paused,  and  smiled,  and  spake: 
'  Fain  would  I  say  it,  brothers,  for  your  sake 


2  PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITK 

For  I  liave  wandered  in  a  sphere  so  bright, 

Have  heard  such  things,  and  witnessed  such  a  sight, 

That  now  I  know  whither  all  nature  turns, 

And  what  the  love  celestial  is  which  burns, 

At  the  great  heart  of  all  the  world,  ensuring 

That  griefs  shall  pass  and  joy  be  all  enduring. 

Yet  ask  me  not!  I  am  as  one  who  came 

Where,  among  roses,  one  bush,  all  aflame 

By  fragrant  crimson  blossoms,  charged  the  air 

With  loveliness  and  perfume  past  compare. 

Then  had  I  thought  to  load  my  skirt  with  roses. 

That  ye  might  judge  what  wealth  that  land  discloses 

And  filled  my  robe,  plucking  the  peerless  blooms; 

But  ah!  the  scent  so  rich,  so  he:ivenly,  comes; 

So  were  my  senses  melted  into  bliss 

With  the  intoxicating  breath  of  this; 

I  let  the  border  of  my  mantle  fall — 

The  roses  slipped!  I  bring  ye  none  at  all." 


Broihen  !  with  other  eyes  must  we 
Behold  the  Bases  on  that  Tree. 


BUH^i.   -OF  VLEAVISO  AHU^DER." 


AUahalKarim !  Bountiful  Lord !  ui»Ne»» 
By  thit  good  name  Thy  loriug  kindnauet. 

O  MAKi  what  hath  bcpuilcd, 

That  Ihoii  shouUlat  stray 

From  the  plain  easy  way 
Of  Allah's  service,  being  Allah's  child? 

When  thou  wort  net. 

And  when  thou  wa'*!  a  clot, 
He  dill  foresee  thee,  and  did  fashion  thee 

From  heel  to  nape. 

Giving  thee  this  fair  shape, 
Composing  the;  in  wondrous  symmetry — 
More  than  thy  niotlicr — in  the  form  thou  wearest; 
Nearer  to  thee  than  what  on  earth  is  nearest 

Kinder  than  kin  is  lie — 

Wilt  thou  forgetful  bel* 


Ta  Kariin!  mnet  TTuni  loveftthtu. 
Quicken,  ah,  quitken  lot«  in  ««. 


'  Cf.  Korin,  IzxzlL  chapter  "  Of  ClesTlog  Asunder.' 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Anah-al-RaMb  !  praise  ye  "  the  WatchfvX  Ont," 
Who  noteth  wliat  men  do  and  leave  umUme. 

The  book  of  the  wicked  is  in  Sijjln, 

A  close-writ  book: 
A  book  to  be  unfolded  on  the  Awful  Day, 

The  day  whereto  men  would  not  look. 

"What  Sijjin  is 
Who  shall  make  thee  know? 
The  Black  Gaol.     Under  Jefmnnum, 
Under  LatM,  the  "  red  glow," 
Under  nuiamali,  "the  tires  which  split;" 
Beneath  Sa'Mr,  the  "  Yellow  Hell," 
And  scorching  Sakar,  lieth  it, 
And  Jahim,  where  devils  dwell: 
Lower  from  light  and  bliss 
Than  H&wiyeh,  "  the  abyss:" 
Sijjln  is  this. 

But  the  books  of  the  righteous  are  in  HilliyHn, 

And  what  shall  make  thee  see 
The  glory  of  that  region,  nigh  to  God, 

Where  those  records  be? 
Joy  shall  make  their  portion:  they  shall  He 

With  the  light  of  delight  upon  their  faces, 
On  soft  sents  reclining 

In  peaceful  places; 


THE  BOOKS  OF  GOOD  ANV  EVIL. 

Drinking  wine,  pure  wine,  scaled  wine, 

Wliose  seal  is  musk  and  rose; 
Allayed  by  Uio  crystal  waves  tlial  sbiue 

In  Tasmln,  which  flows 
From  the  golden  throne  of  God:— at  its  brink 

Angels  drink.* 


0  "  WateAerf"  grant  our  namet  may  b« 
In  that  Book  lying  ntar  to  Thee. 


*  Cf.  Koritn,  ItttIII  ch^ter  "Of  Short  Wtiifht." 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


AUah^aUMujtb,  Who  biddest  men  to  pray. 
And  hearest  prayer;  thus  praise  we  Thee  aJmay. 

OuK  Lord  the  Prophet  (peace  to  him !)  doth  -write— 
Sura  the  seventeenth,  intituled  "Night:" — 
"  Pray  at  the  noon,  pray  at  tlie  sinking  sun, 
In  night-time  pray;  but  most  when  night  is  done. 
For  daybrealc's  prayer  is  surely  borne  on  high 
By  Angels  changing  guard  within  the  sky." 
And  in  another  verse,  "  Dawn's  prayer  is  more 
Than  the  wide  world  with  all  its  treasured  store." 

Therefore  the  Faithful,  when  the  growing  light. 
Gives  to  discern  a  black  hair  from  a  white. 
Haste  to  the  mosque,  and,  bending  Mecca-way, 
Recite  Al-Fdiihah  while  'tis  scarce  yet  day : 
Praise  be  to  Allah,  Lord  of  all  that  live. 
Merciful  Eiiig  and  Judge,  to  Thee  we  give 
Worship  and  honm-!    Succor  us  and  guide 
Where  those  have  walked  who  rest  Thy  Throne  beside; 
The  way  of  peace,  the  way  of  truthful  speech, 
The  way  of  righteousness.     So  we  beseech." 
He  who  saith  this,  before  the  east  is  red, 
A  hundred  prayers  of  Azan  hath  he  said. 

Hear  now  this  story  of  it — told,  I  ween, 
For  your  soul's  comfort  by  Jelalu-'d-deen 


ALI  ANT)   THE  JEW.  97 

In  the  great  pages  of  the  Mcsntvl; 

For  therein,  plain  and  ccrtuiii,  shall  ye  seo 

How  precious  is  the  prayer  at  break  of  day 

lu  Allah's  ears,  and  in  His  sight  alway 

How  sweet  are  reverence  ami  gentleness 

Done  U)  His  creatures: — •' Aii"  (whom  I  blcasl), 

The  son  of  Abu  Talib — he,  surnamcd 

"  Lion  of  God,"  iu  many  buttles  famed, 

The  cousin  of  our  Lord  llie  Prophet  (grace 

Be  hisi),  uprose  betimes  one  morn,  to  pace. 

As  he  was  wont,  unto  the  mosque,  wherein 

Our  Lord  (bliss  live  with  him!)  watched  to  begin 

Al-F(Uihah.     Darkling  was  the  sky,  and  strait 

The  lane  between  the  city  and  mosque-gate, 

liy  rough  stones  broken  and  deep  pools  of  rain ; 

And  therethrough  toilfully,  with  steps  of  pain, 

I^eaning  upon  bis  stail  an  old  Jew  went 

To  synagogue,  on  pious  errand  bent; 

For  those  l)c  "  People  of  Ihe  Book,"  and  some 

Are  chosen  of  Allah's  will  who  have  not  come 

Into  full  light  of  knowledge;  therefore,  he, 

Ali,  the  Caliph  of  proud  days  to  be — 

Knowing  this  g<x)d  old  man,  and  why  he  stirred 

Thus  early,  ere  the  morning  mills  were  heard — 

Out  of  bis  nobleness  and  grace  of  soul 

Would  not  thrust  past,  though  the  Jew  blocked  the 

whole 
Itreadlh  of  the  lane,  slow  hobbling.     So  they  went. 
That  ancient  first;  and.  in  soft  discontent, 
After  him  Ali,  noting  how  the  sun 
Flared  near,  and  fearing  prayer  might  be  begun; 
Yet  no  command  upraising,  no  harsh  cry 
To  stand  aside,  because  the  dignity 


98  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Of  silver  hairs  is  much,  and  morning  praise 
Was  precious  to  the  Jew,  too.     Thus  their  ways 
Wended  the  pair;  great  Ali,  sad  and  slow. 
Following  the  graybeard,  while  the  east,  aglow, 
Blazed  with  bright  spears  of  gold  athwart  the  blue, 
And  the  Muezzin's  call  came,  "  lUahu! 
Allah-il- Allah!" 

In  the  mosque,  our  Lord 
(On  whom  be  peace)  stood  by  the  mimbar-board. 
In  act  to  bow  and  Pdtihah  forth  to  say. 
But,  while  his  lips  moved,  some  strong  hand  did  lay 
Over  his  mouth  a  palm  invisible. 
So  that  no  voice  on  the  assembly  fell. 
Ta  !  Rabbi  'lalamina — thrice  he  tried 
To  read,  and  thrice  Ihe  sound  of  reading  died, 
Stayed  by  this  unseen  touch.     Thereat  amazed. 
Our  Lord  Muhammad  turned,  arose,  and  gazed. 
And  saw—alone  of  all  within  the  shrine — 
A  splendid  Presence,  with  large  eyes  divine 
Beaming,  and  golden  pinions  folded  down, 
Their  speed  still  tokened  by  the  fluttered  gown: 
Gabriel  he  knew,  the  Spirit  who  doth  stand 
Chief  of  the  Sons  of  Heav'n,  at  God's  right  hand; 
"Gabriel!  why  stay'st  thou  me?"  the  Prophet  said, 
"  Since  at  this  hour  the  Fdtihah  should  be  read." 
But  the  bright  Presence,  smiling,  pointed  where 
Ali  towards  the  outer  gate  drew  near. 
Upon  the  threshold  shaking  off  his  shoes, 
And  giving  "  alms  of  entry,"  as  men  use. 
"Yea!"  spake  Ih'  Archangel,  "sacred  is  the  sound 
Of  morning  praise,  and  worth  the  world's  great  round, 
Though  earth  were  pearl  and  silver;  therefore  I 
Stayed  thee,  Muhammad,  in  the  act  to  cry. 


ALI  AND   THE  JEW. 

Lest  Ali,  tarrying  in  the  lane,  should  miss, 
For  bis  good  deed,  its  blessing  and  its  bliss." 
Thereat  the  Archangol  vnnishcd,  nnd  our  Lord 
Head  FatHuxh  forth  beneath  the  mimbar-bourd. 


[7«,  too.  MujVi !  in  hrarinti  Itrff; 
Better  u  prayer  than  food  or  deep! 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


"AU- Comprehending  One,"  Al-Wasi'h/  wa 
By  this  naine  also  praise  and  Jwnor  Thee. 

TuKN,  wheresoe'er  ye  be,  to  Mecca's  stone, 
For  this  is  lioly,  and  your  Lord  doth  hear; 

Thitherwards  turn! — so  hath  all  IslSm  one 
Heart  to  its  thought  and  harbor  of  its  prayer. 

But  Allah's  house  eastwards  and  westwards  lies. 

Northwards  and  southwards.    He  is  everywhere: 
Whithersoever  way  3'e  bend  your  eyes. 

Face  to  face  are  j'e  with  Al-Wasi'h  there. 
It  is  not  righteousness  to  kneel  aright 

Fronting  the  Ktblah;  but  to  rightly  hold 
Of  God,  and  of  His  judgment,  and  the  bright 

Bands  of  His  Angels :  and  what  truth  is  told 
In  the  sure  KorSn  by  God's  holy  Prophet; 

To  succor  orphans,  strangers,  suppliants,  kin; 
Your  gold  and  worldly  treasure — to  give  of  it 

Ransom  for  captives,  alms  which  mercy  win: 
To  keep  your  covenants  when  ye  covenant; 

Your  woes  and  sufferings  patiently  to  bear, 
Being  the  will  of  God : — this  is  to  front 

Straight  for  the  Kiblah  :  this  is  faith  and  fear.* 

Abounding  Lord!  in  every  place 
Is  built  the  Mecca  of  Thy  grace. 

*  Cf.  Kor&n,  ii.  chapter  "  Of  the  Cow." 


TUJi  ASOELS  OF  TEE  SCALES.        101 


AlSHdm!  Judge  of  aUtht  judge*  !  thovt 
Merey  to  us  and  make  us  justice  knoxo. 

Only  one  Judge  is  just,  for  only  One 
Knowelli  the  licarts  of  men;  and  hearts  alone 
Are  guiUy  or  arc  guiltless.     Tliat  which  lied 
Was  not  the  tongue — he  is  a  red  dog  tied. 

And  that  which  slew  was  not  the  hand  ye  saw 
Grasping  the  knife— she  is  a  slave  whose  law 
The  master  gives,  seated  within  the  tent; 
The  hand  was  handle  to  the  instrument; 

The  dark  heart  murdered.     O  believers!  leave 
Judgment  to  Heav"n — except  ye  do  receive 
Onice  and  order  to  accomplish  this; 
Then  honorable,  and  terrible,  it  is. 

The  Prophet  said:  •  "  At  the  great  day  of  doom 
Such  fear  on  the  most  upright  judge  shall  come 
That  he  shall  moan,  '  Ah!  would  to  Ood  that  I 
Had  stood  for  trial,  and  not  sate  to  tryl'  " 

He  said:    •  The  Angels  of  the  Scales  will  bring 
Just  and  unjust  who  judged  before  Heav'n's  King, 
GriuiplDg  them  by  the  neck;  and,  if  it  be. 
One  hath  adjudged  his  fellows  wickedly, 


102  PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 

"He  shall  be  hurled  to  hell  so  vast  a  height 
'Tis  forty  years'  fierce  journey  ere  he  light; 
But  if  one  righteously  hath  borne  the  rod. 
The  Angels  kiss  those  lips  which  spake  for  God.' 


Lord/  make  uijmt,  that  voe  may  be 
A  UtOe  justified  with  Thee. 


TASifiy  AND  SALSADIL. 


"  The  Lemng"—AlVi:adood  !  ah,  titU  dear, 
thereby  Thy  children  praue  Thee,  free  of  fear. 

Sw^ET  secDi  your  wedded  days;  aud  dear  and  leader 
Your  cliildrcu's  talk;  bravo  'lis  to  hear  the  tramp 

Of  i>asturcd  horses;  and  to  sec  the  splendor 
Of  gold  and  silver  plunder;  and  to  camp 

With  goats  and  camels  by  the  bubbling  fountain; 

And  to  drink  fragrance  from  the  desert  wind, 
And  to  sit  silent  on  the  mighty  mountain; 

And  all  the  joys  which  make  life 'bright  aud  kind. 

But  ye  have  heard  of  streams  more  brightly  flowing 
Than  thosp  whereby  ye  wander;  of  a  life 

Glorious  and  glad  and  pure  beyond  earth's  knowing; 
Love  without  loss,  and  wealth  wilhnul  the  strife. 

Lol  we  have  told  yovi  of  the  golden  Garden 
Kept  for  the  Faithful,  where  the  soil  is  still 

Wheat-flour  and  musk  and  camphire,  and  fruits 
To  what  delicious  savor  each  man  will 

Upon  the  To<)t>a  tree;  which  bends  its  cluster 
To  him  that  doth  desire.  ))earing  all  meat; 

And  of  the  spirkliiiir  fountains  which  out-lustre 
Diamond.''  and  emeralds,  ninning  clc.ir  and  sweet, 


104  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Tasmla  and  Salsabil,  whose  lucent  waters 

Are  ricli,  delicious,  undistracting  wine; 
And  of  the  Ilouris,  pleasure's  perfect  daughters, 

Virgins  of  Paradise,  whose  black  eyes  shine 

Soul-deep  with  love  and  languor,  having  tresses 
Night-daik,  with  scents  of  the  gold-blooming  date 

And  scarlet  roses;  lavishing  caresses 
That  satisfy,  but  never  satiate; 

Whose  looks  refrain  from  any  save  their  lover. 
Whose  peerless  limbs  and  bosoms'  ivory  swell 

Are  like  the  ostrich  egg  which  feathers  cover 
From  stain  and  dust,  so  white  and  rounded  well: 

Dwelling  in  marvellous  pavilions,  builded 
Of  hollow  pearls,  wherethrough  a  great  light  shines — 

Cooled  by  soft  breezes  and  by  glad  suns  gilded — 
On  the  green  pillows  where  the  Blest  reclines. 

A  rich  reward  it  shall  be,  a  full  payment 
For  life's  brief  trials  and  sad  virtue's  stress, 

When  friends  with  friends,  clad  all  in  festal  raiment, 
Share  in  deep  Heaven  the  Angels'  happiness; 

Nay,  and  full  payment,  though  ye  give  those  pleasures 
Which  make  life  dear,  to  flght  and  die  for  faith. 

Rendering  to  God  your  wives  and  flocks  and  treasures, 
That  He  may  pay  you  tenfold  after  death. 

For,  if  the  bliss  of  Paradise,  transcending 
Delights  of  earth,  should  win  ye  to  be  bold, 

Yet  know,  this  glory  hath  its  crown  and  ending 
In  Allah's  grace,  which  is  the  Joy  untold. 


TASi/J.\  ANU  ^ALt^^lBIL 

Tlie  Utmost  Bliss.     Beyond  the  Ilnppy  River 
Tlif  justified  shall  see  Ood's  face  in  Heaven, 

l.ivi-  ia  His  sweet  goodwill,*  nnd  taste  for  ever 
AJWadood'sf  love,  unto  His  children  given. 


Yea!  for  high  Ueaten'tfelidty 
It  but  the  thadote.  Lord,  of  Th<< 


•  Cf.  Kor&n,  Ix.  chapter  "  Of  Repentance." 
t  Cf .  Koriu,  IxxxT.  chapter  "  Of  Zodiacal  i 


PEABLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 


49 

AI^Ma^d !  Olorious  Lard  up<m  the  Throne* 

With  this  great  nanie  we  praise  Thee,  Sovereign  One  ! 

By  the  Heavens,  walled  with  silver  signs  and  towers  I 

By  the  Promised  Day ! 
By  the  "Witness  and  the  'Wituessed ;  and  the  Way 
Of  righteousness! — this  glorious  Bo  >k  of  ours 

Lieth  treasured  up  in  Heaven, 

As  'twas  given 
On  the  mighty  "  Night  of  Powers;" 

And  its  easy  bond  is  this. 

The  which  to  keep  is  bliss: 

"  Nona  save  Glorious  Allah  serve; 

Never  from  His  precepts  swerve; 

Honor  teaclier,  father,  motlter; 

Unto  him  who  is  thy  brotlier. 

Unto  kindred,  friends  also, 

Orphans,  suppliants,  sad  ones,  show 

Gentleness  and  help;  to  each 

Speak  with  kind  and  courteous  speech. 

Give  in  alms  that  thou  may'st  spare. 

And  be  constant  in  thy  prayer."  * 


Allah  al-Ma/jid  !  Thy  favor  grant. 
That  we  may  keep  this  cotenant. 


*  Cf.  Koran.  Ixxxv.  chapter  "  Of  Celestial  Signs.,' 
+  Cf.  Koran,  ii.  chapter  "  Of  the  Heifer." 


IBLI8  AUD  ABRAHAM. 


AlB&hith!  Optnerofdie  Tombs!  \re  praiM 
Thy  poicer,  whifh  unto  life  the  dead  can  raite. 

iBLis  spiikc  to  Abraham: 

'■  WIml  if)  111  is  thy  Lord  hath  told  theeT 

Sliall  llio  Resurrection  be 

Wlii'ti  the  moulduriui;  clods  enfold  thee? 

Nay!  ami  if  a  man  might  rise, 

Buried  whole,  in  heedful  wise. 

See  yon  carcase  tompcstbeaten — 

Part  the  wandering  fox  hath  eaten, 

Part  by  tislii-s  hath  been  torn. 

Part  the  sea-fowl  hence  have  borne; 

Never  back  those  fragments  can 

Come  to  him  who  was  a  man." 

Abraham  spake  unto  his  Lord:* 
"  8how  me  how  is  wrought  this  wonder; 
Can  Thy  resurrection  be 
When  a  man's  dust  lies  asunder?" 

"Art  thou  therefore  not  believing," 
Allah  said.  "  because  deceiving 
Il.ltH  tills  wth  lies  thy  heart?  " 
"  Nny."  he  answered,  "but  impart 
Knowlcdi;i',  Mightiest  One  and  BestI 
That  my  heart  may  be  at  rest. " 

•  Ot  KoHto,  U.  chapter  "  Of  the  Heifer." 


PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 

God  said:  "  Take,  tbou  doubting  one! 
Four  birds  from  among  My  creatures; 
Sever  each  bird's  head,  and  so 
Mingle  feathers,  forms,  and  features. 
That  the  fragments  Eliall  not  be 
Knowable  to  such  as  ye. 
Into  four  divide  the  mass, 
Then  upon  the  mountains  pass. 
On  four  peaks  a  portion  Uiy, 
And,  returning  homeward,  say, 
'  By  the  name  and  power  of  God— 
Who  hath  made  men  of  the  clod. 
And  hath  said  the  dead  shall  rise — 
Birds!  fly  hither  in  such  wise 
As  ye  lived.'    And  they  shall  come, 
Perfect,  whole,  and  living,  home." 

Thereupon  Al-Khalil  took 
A  raven,  eagle,  dove,  and  cock; 
From  their  bodies  shore  the  heads, 
Cut  the  four  fowl  into  shreds. 
Mingled  all  their  mass  together. 
Blood  and  bone,  and  flesh  and  feather; 
Then  dividing  this  four-wise, 
Laid  it  where  four  peaks  did  rise 
Two  to  south  and  two  to  north. 
Then  the  dove's  head  held  he  forth. 
Crying,  "Come!"     Lo!  at  the  word 
Cooed  at  his  feet  tlie  slaughtered  bird. 
"  Come,  raven!"  spake  he:  as  he  spoke, 
On  glossy  wing,  with  eager  croak. 
Flew  round  the  raven.     Then  he  said, 
"Return!  thou  cock:"  the  cock  obeyed. 


IBLIS  AND  ABRAHAM. 

Lastly  the  eagle  summoned  be, 
WhicU  circling  came,  on  pinions  free, 
Restored  and  soaring  to  the  sky. 
With  perfect  plumcB  and  undimmed  eye. 

So  in  the  Holy  Boot  'tis  writ 
How  Abraham's  heart  at  rest  waa  set. 


Why  thould  aefear  to  yield  our  breath. 
To  Thee  That  art  th^  Lord  of  Death  t 


PEABLS  OF  THE  FAITK 


Ash-Shahid  !  Ood  is  "  Witness  /"  and  He  tooR, 
Witness  of  us,  ye  People  of  the  Book  ! 

The  spirits  of  the  Propliets  came  at  morn 
To  Sinai,  summoned  by  their  Lord's  command. 

Singers  and  seers; — those  born  and  tliose  iiuborn, 
The  chosen  souls  of  men,  a  solemn  band. 

The  noble  army  ranged,  in  viewless  might. 

Around  that  mountain  peak  which  pierces  heaven ; 
Greater  and  lesser  teachers,  sons  of  light; 

Their  number  was  ten  thousand  score  and  seven. 
Then  Allah  took  a  covenant  with  His  own. 

Saying,  "  My  wisdom  and  My  word  receive; 
Speak  of  Me  unto  men,  known  or  unknown. 

Heard  or  unheard;  bid  such  as  will,  believe." 

"And  there  shall  come  apostles,  guiding  ye, 
Jesus.  Muhammad:  follow  them  and  aid! 

Are  you  resolved,  and  will  you  war  for  Me?" 
"  We  are  resolved,  O  Lord  of  all!"  they  said. 

"  Bear  witness  then!"  spake  Allah,  "  souls  most  dear 
I  am  your  Lord  and  ye  heralds  of  Mine." 

Thenceforward  through  all  lands  His  Prophets  bear 
The  message  of  the  mystery  divine.* 

AHah-ash-Shdhid  !  make  rts  to  liear 
T?ie  errand  tliat  Thy  children  bear. 

•  Cf.  Kor&D,  iu.  chapter  "Of  Imran's  Family." 


SURA   "OF  THE  COW." 


0  nou,  tlu  TYuth  !  when  to  Thy  name  tM  eaU, 
Aid  Mid  that  nted  be  taid.  tith  Thou  art  all. 

Truth  nnd  all  trntli  He  is!  serve  Ilim  alone 
Who  halh  none  other  by  nor  near  His  Throne; 
Unto  all  sins  is  Allah's  pardon  given 
Except  what  giveth  Him  partners  in  Heaven,* 
Bcinc  Apart.  Exalted.  Truth  and  Light. 
Only  and  wholly— hold  thou  this  arightl 


Ta  ITakkf  trw  God!  never  with  Thtt 
Can  other  or  can  equal  be. 


'  Ct  Kortn.  ir.  cbapter  "  OV 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


AlailaUAay  WaJal!  *  Guardian  cfaU! 
By  this  name  truttfuUy  on  Thee  ue  eaU. 

Tebilt  God  is  guard! 
What  other  bath  created  von,  and  made 
Men  gone  before,  and  earth's  foondations  laid 

So  broad  and  hard. 
To  be  yotir  dwelling-place; 
And  Heaven's  star- jewelled  face 
Arched  for  your  roof-top;  and  the  tender  rain 
Sent  down  at  the  due  season,  whereby  grain 

Groweth,  and  clustered  gold 

Of  dates,  and  grapes  that  hold 
The  purple  and  the  amber  honey- juiceT 

These  for  your  use 

Tour  Lord  and  "Agent'"  gave. 
Make  Him  no  i>eerB,  nor  other  guardian  have. 


AUah-airWalal!  Thg  wtrdt  are  toe; 
Haw  v*  in  Thsfiidtty. 


'  CC  Eorac,  n.  diapter  "  Of  the  ] 


TUK  FLY  AAD  I'UK  FALUE  UODS.      113 


Thou  mighty  One .'  Whote  merty  hath  npraited 
Mankind  to  praiM  Thee,  be  Thou  hereby  praised/ 

CosaiDKR  them  that  serve 
The  false  gods,  how  they  lay  in  golden  dishes 
Honey  and  fruits  and  fishes 
Before  their  idols;  and  Ihe  green  fly  comes, 
Shoots  through  the  guarded  gates,  and  liunis 
Scorn  of  their  offering,  stealing  wlial  she  will; 
And  none  of  these  great  gods  the  thief  can  kill, 

So  swift  she  is  and  small: 

And  none  of  all 
Can  make  one  little  fly,  for  all  their  state; 
So  feeble  are  they,  and  so  falsely  great.* 
Ye  people  of  the  slocks  and  stones!  herein 
A  parable  is  set  against  your  sin. 
But  Allah  high  doth  nile 
Whose  hand  made  all  things,  being  "  Powerful. 


Al  Kairi .'  King  nf  poxetr  and  might 
Be  Thy  hand  o'er  um  d<iy  and  night ! 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


AUah-aUMateen  !  "  Firm"  is  our  Lord  andfaU; 
Praise  Him  Who  doth  uphold  Thee  to  the  la*t. 

By  the  Angels  ranged  in  ranks. 

And  the  Rain-cloud  Drivers, 
And  the  Reciters  of  the  word,  "  Thy  God  is  one,' 

Firm  is  our  Lord ! 

Of  the  heavens  the  ten^pole, 

Al-Watad;  and  of  earth 

HaU-al-Mateen,  the  sure  Cord:* 

By  this  thy  soul 

Holdeth,  from  birth: 
Fast  is  the  cord,  and  sure; 
They  only  shall  endure 
Who  dwell  beneath  the  mighty  tent  upholdea 
By  Al-Watad,\  the  Golden. 


Stay  of  Thy  sermnts,  AUMateen! 
In  Thee  is  strong  deliverarice  seen. 


*  Ct.  Koran,  iii.  chapter  "  Of  the  Family  of  Imran." 
t  Cf.  Kor&n,  Ixzviii.  chapter  "  Of  the  Information." 


ABRAHAMS  BRBAD. 


Ah  Wall  !  Nearat  of  allfriendi,  and  But, 
So  praiae  your  Lord,  Whose  help  it  mishti«*t. 

Close  is  He  always  to  His  faithful  ones. 

But  closer  dwelt  they  in  the  times  of  old. 

Hath  it  come  to  ye  what  Al  BaidhSwJ 

Presentcth  of  the  days  of  Abraham, 

Whom  Allah  called  His  "  Friend,"  and  like  a  friend 

Softly  entrenled,*  stooping  out  of  Heaven 

To  help  and  comfort  him  so  dear  to  Go<lT 

Oftlimes  the  Angels  of  his  I>ord  would  light 

Familiarly,  with  folded  wings,  before 

The  curtain  of  his  tent,  conversing  there; 

Uft  times,  on  thorny  flats  of  wilderness. 

Or  in  ihe  parched  pass,  or  the  echoing  cave. 

The  very  voice  of  God  would  thrill  his  ears; 

And  he  might  answer,  as  a  man  with  man. 

Hearing  and  speaking  things  unspeakable. 

Wherefore,  no  marvel  that  he  gave  his  st)n 

At  Allah's  bidding,  and  bad  back  his  son — 

Patient  and  safe — when  the  wild  goat  came  down 

And  hung  amid  the  nclibuk  by  his  horns, 

(Jn  Tliahlr.  nigh  lo  Mecca,  in  the  vale 

Of  Miiia;t  and  Ihe  knife  of  Abraham 

Kedduned  with  unwept  blood. 

•  Cf.  Kor*n.  I».  chapter  ■'  Of  Women." 

t  Ct.  Kor&n,  xxxvU.  chapter  "  Of  the  Ranged." 


116  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

There  had  fall'n  drought 
Upon  the  land,  and  all  the  mouths  he  fed 
Hungered  for  meal;  therefore  Al-Khalll  sent 
Messengers  unto  Egypt — to  a  lord 
Wealthy  and  favorable,  having  store 
Of  grain  and  cattle  by  the  banks  of  Nile. 
"Give  unto  Abraham,"  the  message  said, 
"A  little  part  for  gold,  yet  more  for  love — 
(As  he  had  given,  if  the  strait  were  thine) 
Meal  of  the  millet,  lentil,  wheat,  and  bean. 
That  he  and  his  may  live;  for  drought  hath  comb 
Upon  our  fields  and  pastures,  and  we  pine." 
Spake  the  Egjptian  lord,  "  Lo!  now  ye  ask 
O'ermuch  of  me  for  friendliness,  and  more 
ThaQ  gold  can  buy,  since  dearth  hath  also  come 
Over  our  fields,  and  nothing  is  to  spare. 
Yet  had  it  been  to  succor  Abraham, 
And  them  that  dwell  beneath  his  tent,  the  half 
Of  all  we  hold  had  filled  your  empty  sacks. 
But  he  will  feed  people  we  wot  not  of, 
Poor  folk,  and  hungry  wanderers  of  the  waste: 
The  which  are  nought  to  us,  who  have  of  such, 
If  there  were  surplusage.     Therefore  return; 
Find  food  ( 


Then  said  the  messengers 
One  to  another,  "If  we  shall  return 
"With  empty  sacks,  our  master's  name,  so  great 
For  worship  in  the  world,  will  suffer  shame. 
And  men  will  say  he  asked  and  was  denied." 
Therefore  they  filled  their  sacks  with  white  sea-sand 
Gathered  by  Gaza's  wave,  and  sorrowfully 
Journeyed  to  Ked.ir,  where  lay  Abraham, 
To  whom  full  privately  they  told  this  thing. 


ABRAHAM'S  BREAD.  117 

Saying.  "  Wc  filled  llie  sacks  with  snnw-wliite  sand. 

Lest  thy  grent  name  be  lessened  'niongst  the  folk. 

Seeing  us  cmpty-lmnilcd;  for  ihc  man 

Denied  tliee  corn;  since  thou  wouldst  give,  quoth  he, 

To  poor  folk  and  to  wanderers  of  the  waste. 

And  there  arc  hungry  mouths  euougli  by  Nile." 

Then  was  the  heart  of  Abraham  sore,  because 
The  people  uf  his  tribe  drew  round  to  share 
The  good  food  brought,  and  all  the  desert  trooped 
With  large-eyed  mothers  and  their  pining  babes, 
Certain  of  succor  if  the  sheikh  could  help. 
80  did  the  spirit  of  Al-Klialll  sink 
That  into  swoon  he  fi-ll,  and  lay  as  one 
Who  hath  not  life.     But  Sarai,  his  wife — 
That  knew  not — bade  her  maidens  bring  a  sack. 
Open  its  mouth,  and  knead  some  meal  for  cakes. 
And  when  the  sack  was  opened,  there  showed  flour, 
Fine,  three  times  l>oUed.  whiter  than  sea-sand; 
Which  in  the  trough  they  kneaded,  rolling  cakes. 
And  (taking  them  over  the  crackling  thorns; 
80  that  the  savor  spread  throughout  the  camp 
Of  new  bread  smoking,  and  the  jwople  drew 
Closer  and  thicker,  as  ye  see  the  herds 
Throng — horn,  and  wool,  and  hoof — at  watering-time, 
When  after  fiery  leagues,  Ihc  wells  arc  reached. 

But  Abraham,  awaking,  smelled  the  bread: 
"Whence."  spake  he  unto  Sarai,  "  hast  thou  meal. 
Wife  of  my  bosom?  for  the  smell  of  bread 
Rispth,  and  In!  I  .«ep  the  cakes  arc  baked." 
"  By  God!  Who  Is  the  only  One."  she  said. 
"Whence  should   U  come  save  from   thy  friend  who 

sent. 
The  lord  of  Egypt?"     "Nay!"  quoth  Abraham, 


118  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

And  fell  upon  his  face,  low-worshipping, 

"  But  this  hath  come  from  the  dear  mighty  hands 

Of  Allah— of  the  Lord  of  Egypt's  lords— 

My  '  Friend,'  and  King,  and  Helper;  now  my  folk 

Shall  live  and  die  not.     Glory  be  to  Godl" 


He  that  hath  Allah  for  afiiend. 
To  want  and  woe  hath  put  the  end. 


TUK  uAiwEy  Ayn  tue  rock. 


RUh  to  reward  your  Lord  it;  oh,  do  yt 
Pr.iiM  Al-Ilamid,  the  "  Eter-praiteworthy  I" 

Pkajsk  him  by  alms;  and  when  ye  help  believers, 
Mar  not  your  sjifls  with  (rriulping  word  or  will; 

Since  ye  at  Allah's  hands  are  free  receivers, 
Freely  bestow.     A  )::arden  on  a  hill 

If  as  a  likeness  of  that  fair  compassion 
Shown  for  the  sake  of  God ;  the  heavy  raia 

Descendcth.  and  the  dew;  and  every  fashion 
Of  good  seed  springs  tenfold  in  fruit  and  grain. 

The  likeness  of  the  evil  heart,  bestowing 
That  men  may  praise,  is  as  the  thin  clad  peak, 

Whercfrom  the  rain  washes  all  soil  for  growing, 
Leaving  the  hard  rock  naked,  fniitless,  bleak. 

S«y,  will  ye  plant  on  7<Kk  or  plenteous  garden? 

Qrow  Donght,  or  grow  green  vinos  that  shade  afford? 
Forgive  your  brethren  as  ye  H«k  for  pardon; 

Give  as  ye  have  received,  aud  praise  your  Lord!* 


ABahal- ITamUi .'  ichai  tongue  can  ttU 
Thy  goodruM,  eter-latidiMet 


•Of.  Kortn  U.  clM4>ter  "  0(  the  BeUcr.' 


PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 


AUMiiht!  The  "  Accountant!"  laud  Mm  so 
Who  reekonelh  up  the  deeds  men  do  below. 


"  TS  god's  kamb,  mbrciftjl,  compassionate!" 


When  Earth  shall  quake  with  quaking,* 
And  cast  her  burden  forth 
Of  corpses;  and  live  men 
Shall  ask — with  terror  shaking — 
"  What  aileth  Earth?"  that  day- 
She  shall  reply,  and  say 

That  which  her  Lord  commands : 

And  men  shall  come  in  bands. 
This  side  and  that  side,  ranged  to  show 
Their  works,  and  the  account  to  know. 
And  he  that  wrought  of  good  a  red  ant's  weight 

Shall  see  it  writ; 
And  who  did  evil,  aye!  as  the  skin  of  a  date, 

Shall  witness  it. 


AUMuhsi!  dread  Accountant !  look 
In  mercy  on  our  judgment-book. 


•Cf.  Koran,  xcix.  chapter  "  Of  the  Earthquake.' 


TUE  LIGHT  OF  LIFE. 


Al-Mubdt!  praite  Him  by  this  holy  name. 
Who  gaw  to  all  the  $park  tehieh  lights  life's  flame. 

Whence  came  }'c;  and  the  people  of  the  groves; 

The  streams,  the  seas,  the  wilderoess,  the  air; 
Beasts,  fislics,  fowl;  each  with  llieir  lives  and  loves, 

Each  glad  to  be,  each  in  its  kiud  so  fair? 

'■  Begotten  of  their  like?"    Yea!  but  "  their  like," 
Who  did  devise  that,  and  the  hidden  cliami 

Whereby— as  flame  from  torch  to  torch  ilolh  strike — 
The  light  of  life  shines  on,  bright,  joyous,  warm? 

Al  Mubdt  hath  devised  it  I     His  decree 
In  the  beginning  shaped  and  ordered  each. 

Saying  to  all  these  things  foreseen,  "  80  bel" 
And  so  they  were,  obeying  Allah's  speech. 


AlMubdi !  •'  Great  Beginner!"  (akg 
Our  praite*.  for  Uj'e't  pUatant  take  I 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


He  made  life— and  He  takes  it— but  instead 
Oives  more;  praise  t!ie  Restorer,  Al-Mu'hidl 

He  who  died  at  Azan  sends 
This  to  comfort  faithful  friends. 

Faithful  friends  !  it  lies,  I  know. 
Pale  and  white  and  cold  as  snow; 
And  ye  say,  "  Abdullah's  deadl" 
Weeping  at  my  feet  and  head; 
I  can  see  your  falling  tears, 
I  can  hear  your  cries  and  prayers; 
Yet  I  smile,  and  whisper  this — 
"I  am  not  that  thing  you  kiss; 
Cease  your  tears,  and  let  it  lie; 
It  was  mine,  it  is  not  I." 


Sweet  friends  !  what  the  women  lave, 
For  its  last  bed  in  the  grave, 
Is  a  tent  which  I  am  quitting. 
Is  a  garment  no  more  fitting. 
Is  a  cage  from  which,  at  last, 
Like  a  hawk  my  soul  hath  passed. 
Love  the  inmate,  not  the  room; 
The  wearer,  not  the  garb;  the  plume 
Of  the  falcon,  not  the  bars 
Which  kept  him  from  the  splendid  stars. 


A  MESSAGE  FROM  THE  DEAD.         I 

Loving  friends!  Ih>  wise,  and  dry 
Straightway  cverj'  weeping  eye; 
What  ye  lift  upon  the  bier 
Is  not  worth  a  wistful  tear. 
'Tis  an  empty  seashell,  one 
Out  of  which  the  pearl  is  gone; 
The  shell  is  broken,  it  lies  there; 
The  pearl,  and  all,  the  soul,  is  here. 
"Tis  an  earthen  jar  whose  lid 
Allah  sealed,  the  while  it  hid 
That  treasure  of  Ilis  treasury, 
A  mind  which  loved  Him;  let  it  Uel 
Let  the  shard  be  earth's  once  more, 
Since  the  gold  shines  in  His  store! 

Allah  Mu'hid.  Allah  most  good! 
Now  thy  grace  is  understood ; 
Now  my  heart  no  longer  wonders 
What  Al-Barsakh  •  is,  which  sunders 
Life  from  death,  and  death  from  Heaven ; 
Nor  the  "  Paradises  Seven" 
Which  the  happy  dead  inherit; 
Nor  those  "  birds"  which  liear  each  spirit 
Towards  the  Throne.  "  green  birds  and  white, 
Radiant,  glorious,  swift  their  flight! 
Now  the  long,  long  darkness  ends. 
Yet  ye  wail,  my  foolish  friends, 
While  the  man  whom  ye  call  "  dead" 
In  unbroken  bliss  instead 
Lives,  and  loves  you;  lost,  'lis  true 
By  any  light  which  shines  for  you; 
But  in  light  ye  cannot  see 
Otunfuiailcd  felicity, 

*  cr.  Korio,  zzUI.  chapter  "  Of  BelicTera." 


PEABLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

And  enlarging  Paradise. 
Lives  the  life  that  never  dies. 

Farewell,  friends!    Yet  not  farewell; 

"Where  I  am,  ye  too  shall  dwell. 

I  am  gone  before  your  face 

A  heart-beat's  time,  a  gray  ant's  pace. 

When  ye  come  where  I  have  stepped, 

Ye  will  marvel  why  ye  wept. 

Ye  will  know,  by  true  love  taught. 

That  here  is  all,  and  there  is  naught. 
"Weep  awhile,  if  ye  are  fain. 
Sunshine  still  must  follow  rain! 
Only  not  at  death,  for  death— 
Now  I  see— is  that  first  breath 
"Which  our  souls  draw  when  we  enter 
Life,  that  is  of  all  life  centre. 

Know  ye  Allah's  law  is  love. 
Viewed  from  Allah's  Throne  above: 
Be  ye  firm  of  trust,  and  come 
Faithful  onward  to  your  home! 
■'  La  Allah  ilia  AUah  !    Yea, 
Mu'hid!  Restorer!  Sovereign! "  say  1 


He  who  died  at  Azan  gave 

This  to  those  iliat  made  hit  grave. 


BUJU   "  OF  rUK  SIGNS.' 


Al-Mo'hyi!  Oie  "  Quickenerf"  hereby 
Praue  Him  Whom  Angels  praite  eternally. 

"  Ajtd  of  His  signs  is  this,"  •  saith  tlic  Great  Book; 
"  Under  the  angry  sun  the  slain  earth — look! — 
Dries  up  to  dust;  dies  every  growing  thing; 
Then  blow  we  breaths  of  southern  wind  which  bring 
Rain-dropping  clouds,  and  sec!  the  dead  earth  lives. 
And  stirs,  and  swells;  and  every  herb  revives. 
So  shall  the  dead  be  quickened  by  Uis  breath. 
This  is  Al-Mo'hyt's  sign,"  the  Great  Book  saith. 


0  Mou  beluver/  thaU  U  b« 

lie  tate*  the  grun  thing,  and  not  thee* 


.  chapter  "  Of  Signs  Explained.' 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


He  quickeneth,  but  "  He  killeth:"  blessed  they 
Who  may  abide  in  trust  that  final  day! 

Tea!  some  have  found  right  good  to  hear  the  summons 

of  their  Lord, 
And  gone  as  glad  as  warriors  proud,  who  take  up  spear 

and  sword 
At  sounding  of  the  song  of  fight;  as  light  of  heart  as 

those 
For  whom  the  bride  unveileth  her  mouth  of  pearl  and 

rose. 


Jelalu-'d-'Din,  Er-Rumi,  the  saint  of  Balkh,  the  son 
Of  him  surnamed  "  Flower  of  the  Faith,"  this  was  a 

chosen  one. 
To  whom  Death  softly  showed  himself,  Heaven's  gentle 

call  to  give; 
For  what  word  is  it  bids  us  die,  save  that  which  made 

us  live? 

Sick  lay  he  there  in  Eonya;  'twas  dawn;  the  golden 

stream 
Of  light,  new  springing  in  the  east,  on  tig  thin  lips  did 

gleam — 


THE  ANQEL   OF  DEATH.  127 

ThoM  lips  which  spake  the  pr&ise  of  Qod  all  through 

his  holy  years, 
And  murmured  now,  with  faith  aud  hope  UDchonged, 

the  moruiog  prayers. 

Then  one  who  watched  beside  his  bed,  heard  at  the 
inner  gate 

A  voice  cry,  "Aftahl  'open!'  from  far  1  come,  and 
wait 

To  speak  my  message  to  Jelftl— a  message  that  will 
bring 

Peace  and  reward  to  him  who  lies  the  Fdtihah  mur- 
muring." 

Thereat  the  watcher  drew  the  Imr  which  closed  the 

chaniberdoor, 
Wondering  and  'feared,  for  ne'er  was  heard  upon  this 

earth  l)«fore 
Accents  so  sweet  and  comforting,  nor  ever  eyes  of  men 
Saw  presence  so  majesticnl  as  his  who  entered  then. 

Enteretl  with  gliding  footsteps  a  bright  celestial  youth. 
Splendid  and  strange  in  beauty,  past  words  to  speak  its 

truth; 
Midnight  is  not  so  dark  and  deep  as  was  his  solemn 

gaze. 
By   love  and  pity  lighted,  as   the   night  with  silvery 

rays. 

"  What  is  thy  name?"  the  watcher  asked,  "  that  I  may 

tell  my  lord. 
Thou  fair  and  dreinKul  messenger!  whose  glance  is  as 

a  sword ; 


128  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Whose  face  is  like  the  Heaven  unveiled;  whose  tender 

searcliing  voice 
Maketh  the  heart  cease  beating,  but   bids   the   soul 

rejoice." 

"AzRAKL  ANA, "  spake  the  shape,  "lam  the  Spirit  of 

Death; 
And  I  am  sent  from  Allah's  throne  to  stay  thy  master's 

breath." 
"Come  in!  come  in!  thou  Bird  of  God,"  cried  joyously 

Jeiai, 
"  Fold  down  thy  heavenly  plumes  and  speak! — Isl^I 

what  shall  be,  shall." 

"Thou  blessed  one!"  the  Angel  said,   "I  bring  thy 

time  of  peace ; 
When  I  have  touched  thee  on  the  eyes,  life's  latest  ache 

will  cease; 
God  bade  me  come  as  I  am  seen  amid  the  heavenly 

host. 
No  enemy  of  awful  mould,  but  he  who  loveth  most." 

"Dear  Angel!  do  what  thou  art  bid,"   quoth  JelSl, 

smilingly, 
"  God  willing,  thou  shalt  find  to-day  a  patient  one  in 

me; 
Sweet  is  the  cup  of  bitterness  which  cometh  in  such 

wise!" 
With  that   he    bowed  his    saintly  brow, — and  Azrael 

kissed  his  eyes. 


AlMumlt !  "  Slayer .'"  st'ud  Him  thus, 
In  love,  not  anger,  unto  us. 


THE  LIFE  BEYOND. 


Praite  Iliin,  AUIIaiy!  the  "  EnerUeing"  King, 
TTAo  to  eternal  life  Hit  own  doth  bring. 

SAirn  the  Book :  "  CotiDt  noi  as  dead  * 
Such  as  for  the  Faith  have  bled; 
Stark  and  red  tlieir  bodies  lie. 
But  their  souls  arc  in  the  sky, 
Resident  with  Qod,  who  granta 
All  (or  which  the  spirit  pants. 
Joyful  are  Ihey.  resting  there 
FVce  from  sorrow,  pain,  or  fear; 
Watching  us  who,  left  in  life. 
Art-  not  quit,  as  yet,  of  strife; 
But  shall  soon  attain,  to  share 
Allah's  mercies,  and  declare — 
Bide  by  side  witli  those — that  He 
Showetb  grace  eternally. 
And  withholdeth  not  the  pay 
At  Die  ending  of  the  day. 


Ta-Haiyl  Thou  ertr-living  Lord. 
Be  ourt  tuch  teork  and$uch  reward. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Magnify  Him,  AUKaiyum;  arid  so  call 
The  "  Self-subsisting"  Ood  Wliojudgeih  aU. 

When  the  trumpet  shall  sound. 

On  that  day,* 
The  wicked,  slow-gathering, 

Shall  say, 
"  Is  it  long  we  have  lain  in  our  graves? 

For  it  seems  as  an  hour!" 
Then  will  Israfil  call  them  to  judgment; 

And  none  shall  have  power 
To  turn  aside,  this  way  or  that; 

And  their  voices  will  sink 
To  silence,  except  for  the  sounding 

Of  a  noise,  like  the  noise  on  the  brink 
Of  the  sea,  when  its  stones 

Are  dragged  with  a  clatter  and  hiss 
Down  the  shore,  in  the  wild  breakers'  roar: 

The  sound  of  their  woe  shall  be  this! 

Then  they  who  denied 

That  He  liveth  Eternal,  "Self-made," 
Shall  call  to  the  mountains  to  crush  them; 

Amazed  and  affrayed. 

Thou  Self-sub-tistent,  Living  Lord .' 
Thy  grace  against  that  day  afford. 

*  Cf.  Koran,  xx.  chapter  "  Of  T.  H." 


BURA  -'OF  daybreak: 


AU  TTiyid  /  prai'te  herthy  that  Watehful  One 
Whote  eya  tee  all  things  underneath  the  tun. 

By  the  Ten  holy  eves  and  the  Dawns  of  gold  I  • 

By  the  One  and  the  Manifold! 

By  the  deepening  of  the  Darkness  of  the  nigbtl 

(And  these  be  oaths  of  might:) 

Hast  thou  considered  what  with  Ad  Qod  wrought, 

And  whcreuDlo  He  broujxht 

Proud  Irani  of  the  pillared  throne. 

Whose  like  no  other  land  did  own; 

And  ThamOd's  race,  which  hewed  houses  of  rocks; 

And  Pharaoh,  strong  for  shucks 

As  is  a  tent  with  tcutpcgs  driven  deep?f 

Lo!  these  their  haughty  state  did  keep. 

And  multiply  their  wickcdueiis; 

Till  Allah,  who  long  suffering  hath. 

Laid  upon  them  the  scourges  of  His  wrath. 

Verily,  as  a  "  watch-tower"  is  your  Lord. 
Lo!  if  ye  knew  this,  would  ye  shut  your  hoard 
When  the  poor  crj- ;  devour  the  weak ;  and  love 
Your  riches  more  than  treasures  stored  above? 


•  Ct  Kortn,  IxnU.  chapter  "Of  Daybreak  ' 

t  The  ;u«blc  word  Walad  bean  this  ■icalflcation. 


132  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Ho!  when  the  earth's  bones  crack, 

And,  rank  on  rank,  the  angels  gather. 

And  hell's  black  gates  fly  back, 

How  will  each  say,  "  'Would  God  in  life's  fair  weather, 

I  had  bethought  me  of  this  storm  of  hell!" 

But  then  it  shall  be  well 
For  thee,  thou  soul!  to-day  uncomforted. 
Who  know'st  that  Allah  sees; 
And  patiently  awaitest  till  He  please 
Call  thee  to  comfort,  praising  Him  and  praised. 
Joyous  thou  Shalt  be  raised 
To  Paradise,  hearing  His  angels  say, 
"  Enter,  and  be  exceeding  glad  to-day!" 


Al-  Wdjid  !  ' '  Watcher  /"  sate  by  grace, 
Who  a/iaU  attain  tMt  happy  place  t 


Wdhid/  The  ■•One.'"  >/e faithful.  $ay  herein 
Sura  Airhlds*  eUanting  touts  from  tin. 

•VH  OOD'S  KAHE,    merciful,    COMPA88IONATB!' 

Say:  "Uc  is  GoU  alone, 

Eternal  on  the  Throne. 
Of  none  begotten,  and  begetting  none, 
Who  bath  not  like  unto  Uim  any  one  I"  t 


Ta  Wdhid!  Holy!  Only! 
Thutdo  declare  Thy  unity. 


•  ThU  name  is  giren  to  the  Sura  as  "clearing  on«Mlf"  from 
heresT. 
t  Cf.  Kortn,  cxll.  chapter  "  Of  Unltj." 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Ai-Samad!  the  "Eternal!"  by  this  name 
Laud  Him  Who  will  be,  was,  and  is  the  same. 

Op  Heaven's  prodigious  years  man  wottetli  nought ; 
The  "Everlasting!" — hast  thou  strained  thy  thought 
Searching  that  depth,  which  numbs  the  seeking  mind 
As  too  much  light  the  eager  gaze  doth  blind? 
The  years  of  men  are  measured  by  the  sun. 
And  were  not,  until  he  his  course  begun; 
And  will  not  be,  when  his  gold  dial  dies: 
But  God  lived  while  no  sun  shone  in  the  skies; 
And  shall  be  living  when  all  worlds  are  dead: 
Yet  hereof,  though  ye  see  the  truth  is  said, 
Ye  take  no  more  the  meaning  than  one  takes 
Measure  of  ocean  by  the  cup  that  slakes 
His  thirst,  from  rillet  running  to  the  sea. 

Behind — before  ye,  shines  Eternity, 
Visible  as  the  vault's  fathomless  blue, 
"Which  is  so  deep  the  glance  goes  never  through, 
Though  nothing  stays  save  depth :  so  is  it  seen 
That  Allah  must  be  ever,  and  hath  been ; 
Seen,  but  not  comprehended — for  man's  wit 
Knows  this,  yet  knows — not  understanding  it. 

Mete  ye  not  Allah's  times  by  man's:  life  gives 
No  measure  of  the  Life  Divine  which  lives 


OZAIR   THE  JEW.  JS 

Unending,  uncommenced,  having  no  stay 
Of  yesterday,  tomorrow,  or  today; 
IJoiiig  forever  one  unbroken  Now 
Wliere  past  and  future  come  not. 

Heard'st  thou  how 
Wliat  time  fair  Zion  was  given  to  sword  and  flame, 
Ozair*  tlie  Jew  upon  Ills  camel  came 
Over  tliose  hills  which  ring  the  sea  of  Lot.f 
So  tlmt  one  footstep  and — ye  see  her  not. 
And  then  another — and  the  city  comes 
Full  upon  view  with  all  her  milk-white  domes. 
But  the  Chaldean  now  had  spoiled  the  place. 
And  desolate  and  waste  was  Zion's  face, 
Her  proud  abodes  unpeopled,  and  her  ways 
Heaped  with  charred  beams  and  lintels.     Ozair  laya, 
"  O  Lord!  who  promised  to  Jerusalem 
Comfort  and  peace:  and  for  her  sons,  to  them 
A  glad  return,  how  shall  Thy  wonl  be  kept 
When  fire  and  steel  over  these  rix>f8  have  swept. 
And  she.  that  was  a  queen,  lies  dead  and  black, 
A  smoking  ruin,  where  the  jackals  pack? 
A  hundred  years  were  not  enough  to  give 
Life  tiack  to  Zlont    Can  she  ever  livef 

But  while  he  spake,  the  Angel  of  the  Lord 
Laid  on  his  doubting  front  a  flery  sword, 
And  Ozair  in  tlial  lonely  desert  spot 
Fell  prone,  and  lay— breathing  and  moving  not — 
One  hundred  years,  while  the  great  world  rolled  oo. 
And  Zion  rose,  and  mighty  deeds  were  done. 

I  wlU>  Ens  of  Scrlptor*. 


136  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

And  when  the  hundred  years  were  flown,  God  said, 

"  Awake,  Ozair!  how  long  hast  tarried. 

Thickest  thou,  here?"    Ozair  replied,  "  A  day, 

Perchance,  or  half."    The  awful  Voice  said,  "Nayl 

But  look  upon  thy  camel."     Of  that  beast 

Nought  save  white  bones  was  left:  no  sign,  the  least. 

Of  flesh,  or  hair,  or  hide:  the  desert  grass 

Was  matted  o'er  its  shanks,  and  roots  did  pass 

From  a  gnarled  fig-tree  through  the  eye-pits  twain. 

And  in  and  out  its  ribs  grew  the  vervain. 

But  'mid  the  moulderings  of  its  saddle-bags 

And  crimson  carpet,  withered  into  rags, 

A  basket,  full  of  new-picked  dates,  stood  there 

Beside  a  cruise  of  water,  standing  where 

He  set  them  fresh,  twice  fifty  years  ago; 

And  all  the  dates  were  golden  with  the  glow 

Of  yestreen's  sunset,  and  the  cruise's  rim 

Sparkled  with  water  to  the  very  brim. 

"  Ozair!"  the  awful  Voice  spake,  "  look  on  these  1 

He  maketh  and  unmaketh  what  shall  please; 

Saves  or  destroys,  restores  or  casts  away; 

And  centuries  to  Him  are  as  a  day; 

And  cities  all  as  easy  to  revive 

As  this  thy  camel  here,  which  now  shall  live." 


Thereon  the  skull  and  bones  together  crept 
From  tangled  weed  and  sand  where  they  had  slept; 
The  hide  and  hair  came,  and  the  flesh  filled  in. 
The  eyes  returned  their  hollow  pits  within, 
The  saddle-bags  upon  its  haunches  hung. 
The  carpet  on  the  saddle-horns  was  flung, 
The  nose-rope  from  the  muzzle  fell.     The  beast 
Rose  from  its  knees,  and  would  have  made  to  feast 


OZAJB  TUB  JEW. 

On  the  green  herbage  where  iu  bones  bad  lain, 

But  that  it  heard  bells  of  a  caravan 

Coming  from  Kedron,  and  with  glad  cry  roared. 

Then  Ozair  looked,  and  saw — newly  restored — 

Zion's  fair  walls  and  IcmpU's,  and  a  crowd 

Of  citizens :  and  traffic  rich  and  loud 

In  her  white  streets;  and  knew  time  should  not  l)C 

Reckoned  'gainst  Him  who  hath  eternity. 


AtSamad .'  EverUuting  Orxtf 

Thy  timet  art  good :  Thj/  uriU  be  done. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


AlKadar!  He  is"  Providence!"  hereby 
The  Lord  of  all  things  living  magnify. 

When  3'e  say  Kismat,  say  it  -wittingly, 
O  true  believers!  under  Allah's  throne 

Place  is  not  left  for  those  accursed  three, 

"Destiny,"  "Fortune,"  "Chance."    Allah  alone 

Ruleth.His  children:  Kismat  ye  shall  deem 
Each  man's  "  allotted  portion,"  from  of  old 

Fixed  for  his  part  in  the  Eternal  scheme 
By  those  great  Hands  which  all  the  worlds  enfold. 

Sayeth  "  the  Book:"  "  There  passeth  no  man's  soul 
Except  by  God's  permission,  and  the  Speech 

Writ  in  the  scroll  determining  the  whole. 
The  times  of  all  men,  and  the  times  for  each."* 

Also  it  sayeth :  "  If  a  man  shall  choose 
This  world's  reward,  to  him  it  shall  be  given; 

And  if  a  man  shall  dare  his  life  to  lose 
For  Paradise,  he  shall  be  paid  in  Heaven."  \ 


Ta  Eadar  !  "  Ruler .'"  teach  vs  still, 
Isldm,  sulmimon  to  Tliy  will. 


*  Ct.  Koran,  iii.  chapter  "  Of  Imran's  Family, 
t  Ct.  Kor&n,  ii.  chapter  "  Of  the  Cow." 


aURA   "  OF  rUK  MOOJf.' 


Al-Mukladir .'  th«  "  Potterful  I"  by  tki* 

Praite  u*  the  Word,  whence  eometh  tcoe  and  bli>*. 

Verilt,  all  things— sailh  "  the  Book"  '—We  made, 
DecrceiDg;  aud  Oiir  bidJing  was  one  word, 
Quick,  as  the  twinkling  of  an  eye;  and  all. 
Whatever  things  men  do.  stands  in  the  scrolls. 
Where  great  and  small  alike  are  written  down; 
And  then  shall  surely  come  the  Hour — the  Uourl 
And  bitter  for  the  sinners  it  will  be 
When  they  are  draggcil,  u{X)n  their  faces,  down 
To  hell,  and  taste  the  touch  of  lire;  but  sweet 
Will  it  be  for  the  piinis— thejic  shall  sit 
'Mid  streams  and  gardens  in  the  seat  of  truth, 
Happy,  near  Muktadir,  the  Mighty  One. 


Grant  u»  that  neat  of  truth  to  tee. 
Almighty  Allah  t  nigh  to  Thee. 


•Ct  Korin,  llv.  chapter  "  Of  the  > 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Mukaddim  !  Muwakhir  !  by  these  names  still 
Praise  Sim  Who  hath  fc/rewariied,  and  doth  fulfil. 

When  the  trumpet  shall  be  ringing, 
Then  the  threatened  Day  hath  come, 
Every  soul  to  judgment  bringing.* 

Each  soul  shall  itself  deliver 
With  two  Angels,  unto  doom. 
With  a  Witness  and  a  Driver. 

He  that  driveth  shall  say,  "Vainly 
Warned  we  thee,  till  this  upholding 
Of  the  veil:  now  thou  seest  plainly." 
And  the  Witness  by  his  side, 
He  shall  say,  a  scroll  unfolding, 
"This  is  what  I  testified." 

Loud  shall  sound  th'  award  eternal: 
"  Hurl  to  hell  the  misbelievers. 
Sinners,  liars; — let  infernal 
"  Torments  seize  perverse  transgressors!" 
Then  will  speak  the  wan  deceivers. 
Seeking  pleas  and  intercessors. 
But  the  awful  Voice  shall  thunder, 
"  Wrangle  not  in  Allah's  hearing! 
Many  a  sign  and  many  a  wonder 

*  Cf.  KorSn,  1.  chapter  "  Of  K." 


SURA   •'  OF  K." 

"Did  forewarn  ye  of  repentance;* 
Time  is  past  for  more  forbearing; 
Not  with  Us  is  change  of  sentence." 

neaven  shall  say  to  Hell  that  morning, 
"  Art  thou  full?"  Ilell  shall  inquire, 
"  Hast  thou  others?"  blackly  yawning 

With  choked  gullet.     But  believing 
SouU  will  see.  brought  nigh  and  uigher. 
Paradise's  gates,  receiving 

Those  to  whom  We  promised  Ueaven. 
"  Patient  ones!  for  ever  striving 
Towards  the  Merciful !  forgiven 

Arc  your  falterings;  enter  ye 
Into  peace;  now  is  arriving 
The  great  Day  of  eternity." 


t\)rtaamer  and  FuljUler!  vn 
Carpet*  mlh  dread  Thine  equity. 


'  The  text  la,  "  I  put  forth  onto  you  the  menace. ' 


PEABLa  OF  THE  FAITH. 


78,  73,  74,  75 

Awwal!  AJchir!  Th&hir  !  Batin!  these  four 
Be  "Mothers  of  the  Names;"  *  thy  Lord  adore, 
Speaking  such  words  as  do  Him  truly  call 
Essence  and  Substance,  First  and  Last  in  all. 

SuKA  the  seven  and  fiftieth:  f  there  is  writ 
The  holy  verse  which  keeps  the  charge  of  it; 

The  verse  which  all  the  names  of  Allah  holdeth 
As  in  one  sky  the  silver  stars  all  sit. 

The  chapter  "  of  the  Iron!" — and  this  script 
Set  on  its  forefront,  as  a  hilt  is  tipped 

With  four-fold  gold;  or  as  a  helm  of  steel 
By  some  far-sparkling  crest-gem  is  equipped. 

"  He  is  the  First  and  Last" — this  scripture  shows^ 
"Outer  and  Inner,  That  which  doth  disclose, 
And  That  which  hides  Itself;  the  Manifest, 
The  Secret;  and  all  things  and  thoughts  He  knows." 

"  In  six  days  earth  and  heaven  He  made  alone. 
Then  reascended  the  Eternal  Throne; 

What  entereth  earth  and  issueth  thence  He  sees. 
And  what  goes  up  and  down  the  sky  is  known" 

•  These  four  divine  titles  are  known  by  the  technical  appella- 
tion of  "The  Mothers  of  the  Names,"  being  regarded  as  fiinda' 
mental  and  all-comprehensive. 

t  Cf.  Kor&n,  Ivii.  chapter  "  Of  Iron,"  v.  3. 


THE  '•  MorilKRS  OF  rilK  NAMES."      143 

"  To  Allah,  Who  is  nigh  where'er  ye  be, 
And  wlmtsoevir  deeds  ye  do  doth  see; 
His  is  the  kingdom  of  the  earth  and  heaven; 
All  things  return  to  Allah  finally." 


Beginning!  End!   Without!  Within/ 
We  celebrate  Thy  praite  herein. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Laud  Him  who  governs  governors  and  kings, 
Angels,  and  I)jin.%  and  men,  and  living  things. 

Wot  ye  of  Solomon's  signet,  graved  of  a  sapphire  in 
gold. 
Graved  witii  the  great  name  of  God,  writ  on  tlie  blue 
of  the  stone? 
Wisdom  and  riches  and  power  had  he  who  that  treasure 
did  hold; 
Safe  in  the  strength  of  the  signet  he  sate  on  his  ivory 
throne. 

Only  King   Solomon  knew  how  the  dread  letters  did 
flow, 
What  was  the  breathing  of  Aleph,  where  came  the 
whispering  Tod; 
When  he  spake  the  ineffable  Word,  the  sea-winds  at 
bidding  would  blow; 
And  the  hills  yield  their  iron,  and  jewels,  and  gold, 
at  the  naming  of  God. 

And  out  of  the  void  of  the  sky,  and  up  from  the  gulfs 
and  the  capes. 
And  forth  from  the  caverns  of  earth,  and  down  from 
the  mountains  of  flame. 
Flocked  Demons  with  wonderful  wings,  and  Ifreet  of 
horrible  shape, 
And  Djins,  with  red  eyes,  made  of  fire;  Divs,  Peris, 
and  Giants,  they  came. 


SOLOMON'S  SIGNET.  145 

They  came,  at  the  call  of  tlu  name,  from  K&f,  thai  en- 
girdles the  seas; 
From  the  gloom  of  the  tomhs  in  the  graveyard,  from 
ruins  ou  desolate  ground; 
From  the  pool  and  the  marsh  ^nd  the  forest;  from  poi 
sonous  blossoms  ami  tn-es; — 
Monstrous  or  dwarfish,— constrained,  enchained,  »w\*- 
dued,  by  a  sound; 

The  sound  of  the  title  of  Allah,  spoken  so  as  the  Angels 
speak:— 
Nor  spirits  uncomely  only,  and  evil;  ethereal  bands 
Thronu'cd  down  from  their  heavenly  houses,  the  Great 
King's  service  to  seek. 
Hearing  that  nameless  Name  which  all  things  living 
commands. 

And  the  fowl  and  the  beasts  were  fain  to  gather,  each 
creature  by  each. 
When  Solomon  summoned  hereby,  pronouncing  the 
mystical  words. 
Moreover,  their  dumb  mouths  opened,  and  the  fly  and 
the  bee  had  a  sptech; 
And  he  knew  the  heart  of  the  lions,  and  learned  the 
mind  of  the  birds. 

Thus  is  it  writ  how  he  marched  by  Tayf  from  the  Syr- 
ian land 
Through  the  "  Valley  of  Ants"  and  heard  the  cry  of 
that  people  of  clay, 
"Hide  yc!  hide  in  the  earth!  for  there  passeth  Solo- 
mon's band; 
We  are  many  and  wise,  but  we  die,  if  the  king's  foot 
cometh  this  way." 


146  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

And  he  laughed,  but  leaped  to  the  ground,  and  bowed 
his  forehead  and  said, 
"O  Lord  God!  grant  me  to  learn  from  the  ant  the 
•nit  to  be  meek. 
I  am  many  and  strong,  and  a  king;  yet  Thou  canst  in- 
stantly tread 
The  pride  of  this  earth  to  dust,  and  the  strongest  to 
Thee  are  but  weak!" 

Then  he  viewed   the    birds,   and    cried,   "I   see    not 
amongst  ye  here 
Al-Hudhitd,  the  crested  lapwing;  what  doth  she  to 
linger  away? 
Ill  shall  it  fall  for  her,  who  seeketh  us  water  clear, 
If  she  find  not  a  fountain  for  prayers  before  the  end- 
ing of  day! 

But  they  tarried  not  long  untU  the  whirr  of  her  speckled 
wings 
Brought  UQto   Solomon's   feet  the  crested  lapwing, 
who  spake, 
"  I  have  seen  a  queen  that  is  greater  than  any  save  Ihee, 
O  King! 
In  Seba  she  reigneth  majestic,  and  glorious  kingship 
doth  make. 

"  There  hath  she  a  marvellous  throne  of  silver,  figured 
with  gold, 
And  the  head  of  the  throne  is  a  moon  in  a  jasper  and 
emerald  curve. 
For  her  people  worship  the    moon."     And    Solomon 
answered,  "  Behold! 
Little  bird!    if    thou  liest  not,  this  queen  shall  the 
Merciful  serve!" 


SOLOWOirS  SrONET.  147 

Thereafter  the  message  went  from  the  Berrant  of  God, 
the  klog: 
"Solomon,  son    of  David,  to  Balkis,  queen  of  the 
south: 
Peace  be  to  them  that  follow  the  Name  upon  Solomon's 
ring; 
Yield  thee,  and  worship  Allah;  cursed  is  the  idola- 
trous mouth." 

Then  Balkis  sent  him  gifts,  of  gold  bricks,  yellow  and 

red; 
And  beautiful  slaves  five  hundred,  with  amber  and 

musk ;  iinil  a  gi-m 
Drilled  with  a  crooked  hole,  which  never  a  goldsmith 

could  thread ; 
And    a    topaz  of   price,   unpicrced,   and    a   diamond 

diadem. 

He  bade  the  sea-worm  eat  a  way  through  the  unpierccd 
stone : 
And  the  little  ant  carry  a  thread  through  the  ruby's 
crooked  drill. 
"Doth  she  offer  to  Solomon  gifts?"  quoth  he,  on  his 
ivory  throne. 
"We  are  richer  than  Seba's  kingtiom!     By  Allah!" 
said  he,  "  I  will 

"That  one  of  my  slaves  bring  hither  Queen  Balkis' 
jewelled  scat; 
Thereby  .«hc  shall  learn  that  the  glory  is  ours,  and 
the  knowletlgc  and  miglil." 
Then  Asaf  the   wise  commanded,   and  a  DJin  spread 
his  pinions  fleet, 
And  brought  llic  moon-throne  thither,  and  set  it  bc- 
fciv  them  aright. 


148  PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 

In  a  guarded  house  she  had  shut  it,  which  a  thousand 
bowmen  l^ept. 
But  when  she  was  come  to  Salem,  lo !  Solomon  the 
king 
Sate  there  on  her  own  gold  seat,  and  Balkis  bowed  her 
and  wept. 
Saying,  "I  pray  thee,  teach  me  the  Name  on  thy 
signet  ring! 

"  We  have  sinned  against  our  souls,  following  lower 
Lords ; 
Our  kingdom  we  give,  and  our  goods,  and  our  lives, 
and  our  spirits  to  thine." 

Such  worship  had  he  of  old  who  knew  Al-  Wdii's  words 
Which  rule  the  rulers,  and  knew  the  sound  of  the 
Name  Divine.* 


Ya  Wdli  !  Oradous  Lord  !  impa/rf 
True  knowledge  of  Ttiee,  as  Thou  art. 


,  xxvii.  chapter  "  Of  the  Ant.' 


MOSES  AND   THE  ANOEL. 


Praae  nim.  Al-ifutMdti.'  Whole  dearee 
It  ut'ser  than  tfu  leit  of  nuin  can  te«. 

'Ti9  written  in  the  chapter  "  of  the  Cave,"* 
Au  Angel  of  the  Lord,  u  minister. 
Had  errands  upon  earth,  and  Moses  said, 
"  Grant  roc  to  wend  with  thee,  that  I  may  learn 
God's  ways  with  men."    Tlio  Angel,  answering,  said, 
"  Thou  canst  not  bear  with  me;  thou  wilt  not  have 
Knowledge  to  judge;  yet  if  thou  followest  me, 
Question  rae  not,  whatever  I  shall  do, 
Until  I  tell  thee." 

Then  they  found  a  ship 
On  the  sea  shore,  wherefrom  the  Angel  struck 
Iler  boards  and  brake  them.    Moses  said,  "  Wilt  drown 
The  mariners?  this  is  a  strange  thing  wrought?" 
"Did  I  not  say  thou  couldst  not  bear  with  me?" 
The  Angel  answered — "  be  thou  silent  now!" 

Yet  farther,  and  they  met  an  Arab  boy : 
Upon  his  eyes  with  mouth  invisible 
The  Angel  breathed;  and  all  his  warm  blood  froze. 
And,  with  a  moan,  he  sank  to  earth  and  died. 
Then  Moses  said,  "  Slaycst  thou  the  innocent 
Who  did  no  wrong?  this  Is  n  hard  thing  seen!" 
"  Did  I  not  tell  thee,"  said  the  Minister, 
Thou  wouldst  not  bear  with  me?  question  me  not!" 

•  Cf.  Koria,  zrill. 


150  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Then  came  they  to  a  village,  where  there  stood 
A  lowly  hut;  the  garden-fence  thereof 
Toppled  to  fall:  the  Aagel  thrust  it  down, 
A  ruin  of  gray  stones,  and  lime,  and  tiles. 
Crushing  the  lentils,  melons,  saffron,  beans. 
The  little  harvest  of  the  cottage  folk. 
"  What  hire,"  asked  Moses,  "hadst  thou  for  this  deed. 
Seeming  so  evil?" 

Then  the  Angel  said, 
"  This  is  the  parting  betwixt  me  and  thee; 
Yet  will  I  first  make  manifest  the  things 
Thou  couldst  not  bear,  not  knowing;  that  my  Lord — 
'  Exalted  above  all  reproach ' — be  praised. 
The  ship  I  broke  serveth  poor  fisher-folk 
Whose  livelihood  was  lost,  because  there  came 
A  king  that  way  seizing  all  boats  found  whole; 
Now  have  they  peace.     Touching  the  Arab  boy 
in  two  moons  he  had  slain  his  mother's  son. 
Being  perverse;  but  now  his  brother  lives, 
Whose  life  unto  his  tribe  was  more,  and  he 
Dieth  blood-guiltless.     For  the  garden  wall: 
Two  goodly  youths  dwell  there,  offspring  of  one 
That  loved  his  Lord,  and  underneath  the  stones 
The  father  hid  a  treasure,  which  is  theirs. 
This  shall  they  find,  building  their  ruin  up. 
And  joy  will  come  upon  their  house!    But  thou, 
Journey  no  more  with  me,  because  I  do 
Nought  of  myself,  but  all  by  Allah's  will. 


Al-Muldhdl/  Maker  of  men. 
Exalted  art  Thou  pait  our  kt 


TUB  ADULTERESS. 


Praiie  Him,  AlBarrl  Whoit  goodness  w  lo  great; 
^yflo  it  to  toting  and  ( 


Pity!  for  He  is  Pitiful ;— a  king 

la  likest  Alluli.  not  in  triumphing 

"MiJ  enemies  o'ertUrown.  nor  seated  high 

On  stately  iroUl,  nor  if  the  echoing  sky 

Itinpt  with  his  name,  but  when  sweet  mercy  sways 

His  words  and  deeds.     The  very  best  man  prays 

For  Allah's  help,  since  feeble  are  the  best; 

And  never  shall  man  reach  Ih'  angelic  rest 

Save  by  the  vast  comimssion  of  Heaven's  King. 

Our  Prophet  once.  Ayesha  answering, 

Spake  this:  "  I  shall  not  enter  that  pure  place, 

Even  I.  except  through  Allah's  covering  grace." 

Kven  our  Lord  (on  him  be  peace  1);  oh,  seel 

If  h<  besoui;ht  the  Sovereign  Clemency, 

How  must  we  supplicate  it?    Truly  thus 

Great  need  there  is  of  Allah's  grace  for  us, 

And  that  we  live  compassionate! 

Hiist  seen 
The  rt'conl  written  of  Salaliud-Dcen 
The  Sullan?  tiow  he  met.  u|H>n  a  day. 
In  his  own  city  on  the  public  way, 
A  woman  whom  Ibey  led  to  die.     The  veil 
Was  stripped  from  off  her  weeping  face,  and  pale 
Her  shamed  clie«>ks  wore,  anil  wild  her  dark  fixed  eye. 
And  her  lip^  dniwii  wiih  terror  at  the  cry 


152         ^PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Of  the  harsh  people,  and  the  rugged  stones 

Borne  in  their  hands  to  Ijreak  her,  flesh  and  bones; 

For  the  law  stood  that  sinners  such  as  she 

Perish  by  stoning,  and  this  doom  must  be; 

So  went  the  wan  adulteress  to  her  death. 

High  noon  it  was,  and  the  hot  khamseen's  breath 

Blew  from  the  desert  sands  and  parched  the  town. 

Tlie  crows  gasped,  and  the  kine  went  up  and  down 

With  lolling  tongues;  the  camels  moaned;  a  crowd 

Pressed  with  their  pitchers,  wrangling  high  and  loud, 

About  the  tauk;  and  one  dog  by  a  well, 

Nigh  dead  with  thirst,  lay  where  he  yelped  and  fell, 

Glaring  upon  the  water  out  of  reach, 

And  praying  succor  in  a  silent  speech, 

So  piteous  were  its  eyes.     "Whicli  when  she  saw, 

This  woman  from  her  foot  her  shoe  did  draw, 

Albeit  death-sorrowful,  and  looping  up 

The  long  silk  of  her  girdle,  made  a  cup 

Of  the  heel's  hollow,  and  thus  let  it  sink 

Until  it  touched  the  cool  black  water's  brink; 

So  filled  th'  embroidered  shoe,  and  gave  a  draught 

To  the  spent  beast,  which  whined,  and   fawned,   and 

quaffed 
Her  kind  gift  to  the  dregs;  nest  licked  her  hand. 
With  such  glad  looks  that  all  might  understand 
He  held  his  life  from  her;  then,  at  her  feet 
He  followed  close,  all  down  the  cruel  street, 
Her  one  friend  in  that  city. 


But  the  king. 
Riding  within  his  litter,  marked  this  thing. 
And  how  the  wsman,  on  her  way  to  die. 
Had  such  compassion  for  the  misery 


THE  ADULTERESS.  188 

Of  t)i:it   parched  hound:    "Take  off  her  chain,  and 

place 
The  veil  once  more  above  the  sinner's  face, 
And  lead  her  to  her  house  in  peace!"  he  said, 
•'  The  law  is  that  the  jwoplo  stone  Ihee  dead 
For  that  which  thou  hn«t  wrought;  hut  theie  is  come, 
Fawniug  around  thy  feet,  a  witness  dumb. 
Not  licani  upon  \\\y  trial ;  this  brute  beast 
Testifies  for  thee,  sister!  whose  weak  breast 
Death  could  not  make  ungentle.     I  hold  rule 
In  Allah's  stead,  who  is  ■  the  Merciful," 
And  hope  for  mercy:  therefore  go  thou  free — 
I  dare  not  show  less  pity  unto  thee!" 


At  \ee  fortfire—anii  mort  than  tee — 
Ta  Barr!  good  Ood!  thoie  cUmeney. 


PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 


Praise  Him,  Al-Tamedb;  if  a  soul  repents, 
Seven  times  and  senenty  times  thy  Lord  relenit. 

At  the  gates  of  Paradise, 
Whence  the  angry  Angels  drave  him, 
Adam  heard  in  gentle  wise 
Allah's  whisper,  which  forgave  him: 
"  Go,"  it  said,  "  from  tliis  fair  place. 
Te  that  sinned;  yet  not  despairing; 
Haply  there  shall  come  a  grace 
And  a  guidance;  and  in  fearing 
Me,  and  following  My  will. 
Blessed  shall  your  seed  be  still." * 

Know  ye  not  that  God  receives 
Gladly  back  the  soul  which  grieves? 
Know  ye  not  that  He  relents 
Ere  the  sinner  well  lepents? 
Terribly  His  justice  burns, 
Easily  His  anger  turns,  f 

Spake  our  Lord :  "If  one  draw  near 
Unto  God — with  praise  and  prayer — 
Half  a  cubit,  God  will  go 
Twenty  leagues  to  meet  him  so. 


•  Cf.  Kor&n,  ii.  chapter  "  Of  the  Heifer,"  i 
t  Cf.  Kor&n,  Ix.  chapter  •'  Of  Repentance.' 


ADAM  QUITThXG  EDEN. 

ilu  who  walkeUi  unto  Qod, 
Ood  will  run  upon  the  road, 
All  the  quicklicr  to  forgive 
One  who  learns  at  last  to  Utc." 


la  Tamodb!  for  Thy  mtrcy't  take, 
Ut  to  «tM«t  peace  and  pUy  take. 


PEAMLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


"Forffiver!"  and  "Avenger .'"  worship  Him 
By  these  two  names,  Ohafoor  and  Muntakim. 

*  O  ilEN,  of  dry  clay  moulded,  as  the  potter  moulds  the 

jars; 
O  Djins,  that  We  have  fashioned  from  the  smokeless 

fire  of  stars : 

What  terror  of  tfte  Lord  vciU  ye  abide  f 

He  is  Lord  of  east  and  west.    He  is   Lord  of  south 
and  north; 

And  the  seas  obey  the  limits  which  He  set  them,  pour- 
ing forth : 

What  terror  of  tlie  Lord  will  ye  abide  ? 

Their  white  pearls,  large  and  small,  are  the  handiwork 

of  Him ; 
And  the  ships,  with  towering  sails,  by  His  winds  and 

waters  swim: 

Which  terror  of  your  Lord  will  ye  abide  f 

But  the  earth  and  all  her  creatures  shall  die  and  be  de- 
cayed ; 
Only  the  face  of  Allah  will  ne-er  change  nor  fade: 
Which  terror  of  your  Lord  wiU  ye  abide  T 

•  Cf.  Kor&n,  It.  chapter  "  Of  the  Merciful" 


HELL  AND  HEAVEN.  157 

The  face  of  Allah  ruling  in  gloriou8  array ; 
For  all  things  look  unto  Ilim,  and  Uo  governs  day  by 
day: 

Which  terror  of  your  Lord  will  ye  abidet 

Yet  will  He  find  good  leisure,  ye  twain!  ye  Djins  and 

Men, 
To  judge  you  at  the  judgment,  O  Clay  and  Flame!  what 

then? 

Which  terror  of  your  Lord  \eUl  ye  abide  T 

If  yc  can  pass  His  gateways,  east,  west,  and  south  ami 

north  — 
Which  shut   in  earth  and  heaven— hasten  yc !  pass  yc 

forth: 

Which  terror  of  your  Lord  will  ye  abide  t 

But  Life  and   Death  enclose  ye;  by  no  way  shall  yc 

pass: 
A  fence  nf  flame   shall  stay  ye,  and  a  moat  of  molten 

brass: 

Which  terror  of  your  Lord  teiUye  abide  t 

And  when  the  sky  is  rended,  red  lik«  a  new-ripped 

hide. 
There  shall  be  no  accusing,  admitted  or  denied: 

Which  terror  of  your  Lord  teill  ye  abide  f 

Xo  yea  nor  nay!  no  questions!  the  sinner's  brand  is 

sin; 
Thereby  shall  he  be  known,  aud  flung  Hell's  blazing 

walls  within: 

Which  terror  of  your  Lord  teiU  ye  abide  t 


168  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Flung  by  the  forelock  and  the  feet:  "  '  This  Hell  existed 

not,' 
Ye  said.    Now  broil!  and  when  ye  thirst,  drink  sulphur 

scalding  hot:" 

Which  terror  of  your  Lord  will  ye  abide  f 

But  sweet  for  him  who  was  faithful,  and  feared  the 

face  of  his  God, 
Are  the  Gardens  of  joy  preparing,  and  the  gates  of  the 

Golden  Abode: 

Which  bounty  of  his  Lard  wiU  he  deny* 

With  leafy  branching  fruit-trees  are  set  those  Gardens 

twain. 
And  softly  the    streamlets  warble,   and  brightly  the 

fountains  rain: 

Which  bounty  of  his  Lord  will  he  deny  T 

And  the  fruit  of  the  Golden  Gardens  swings  delicate, 

near  to  reach. 
Where  they  rest  on  their  'broidered   couches,  hearing 

delightful  speech : 

Which  bounty  of  their  Lord  will  they  deny  f 

Therein   are  the  shy-faced   maidens,   refraining  their 
night-black  eyes 

From  any  save  that  glad  lover  whose  joy  is  their  Para- 
dise: 

Which  bounty  of  their  Lord  will  they  deny  T 

From  any  but  that  glad  lover,  that  happy  lord  for  whom 
Their  mouths  of  pearl  rain  kisses,  their  lips  of  ruby 
bloom: 

Which  bounty  of  their  Lord  will  they  deny* 


SELL  AND  EEAVEN.  169 

Shall  the  wages  of  righteous  doing  be   less  than   the 

promise  given? 
Nay!  but  by  God,  the  Glorious,  the  debt  shall  be  paid 

in  heaven ! 

Vihat  bounty  of  thtir  Lord  shall  they  deny  t 


0  man!  fear  Ilim.  nuignify  Him; 
AlOhafoor  and  AUMuntakim. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Praise  Him,  Al-Sawuf,  Just  and  Kind  alway. 
Who  knoiceth  how  He  made  us  of  the  day. 

Say,  "  Lord  of  all,  to  Thee 

Goeth  our  road; 
Require  not  of  our  souls 

Too  much,  dear  God! 
Thou  wilt  not!  what  was  earned 

Thou  dost  defray; 
And  what  was  done  amiss 

That  we  must  pay; 
But  ah!  be  not  extreme 

With  what's  forgot. 
With  error,  or  small  sin. 

And  load  us  not 
With  burdens  which  we  cannot  carry.  Lord! 
But  favor,  help,  forgiveness  afford."* 

Tender  His  answers  are: — 

(The  "  Chapter  of  the  Star."t 
Ayat  the  Thirty- Third):  "  The  heavens  and  earth 

To  TJs  pertain,  and  We 

Will  deal,  assuredly. 
Well  with  the  good,  but  with  the  ill  in  wrath. 

Yet  not  for  each  offence. 

Errors  of  flesh  or  sense. 


"  Cf.  Koran,  ii.  chapter  "  Of  the  Heifer." 
t  Cf .  Koran,  liii. 


SURA   ••OF  THE  STAR." 

Shall  there  bo  judgment,  children  of  the  loam! 

Our  mercy  reachcth  far; 

We  know  ye  what  ye  are, 
And  knew  yc  while  ye  lay  clots  in  the  womb; 

Sin.  and  be  sorry,  and  amend: 
Who  seeketh  God  shall  find  Him  in  the  end." 


Erer  indulgent  Mnker  !  ire 
Prai*efor  thtte  teonU  Thy  cUineney. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


King  of  all  kingdoms  !  only  Thou  art  crowned, 

Whose  throne  is  heaven,  and  earth  Thy  footslooVs  round. 

Ta  Malik.'  Ta  Kuddus!  wa  ya  Saldm! 

O  King!  O  Holy  One!  O  Peace-giver! 

Ya  Aziz  !  Ya  Muhaimin  !  Ya  Mtimin  ! 

O  Miglily!  O  Protector!  Faithful  ever! 

Ya  Jabbdr  !  O  Thou  Sovereign,  All-compelling! 

Ya  Mutakabbir  !  O  Thou  Lord  excelling! 
Exalted  art  Thou  over  utmost  praise ; 
Accurst  are  those  who  graven  idols  raise 
Beside  Thee;  unto  them  fall  plagues  and  shames! 
To  Thee  alone  belong  "  the  comely  names."* 


King  of  all  kings  !  we  celebrate 

With  endless  praise  Thy  glorious  state. 


'  Cf.  Koran,  lii.  chapter  "  Of  the  Emigration." 


SURA    -OF  TUK  MKliVJFLl. 


0  "  Lord  ofaufulntu  and  honor.'"  iM 
Lade  leit  and  \eordt  in  fiUy  naming  Thte. 

AxL  IhiDgs  shall  Aie.  and  decay,  but  the  kingdom  of 
Allah  CDdureth, 
Changeless  in  honor  and  might,  changeless  in  glory 
and  grace; 
Bleased  be  He  who  is  Lord,  possessed  of  all  beauty  and 
greatness; 
All  things  die  and  decay;  only  endurcth  His  face.* 


Dhu'ljaldl  va'l  ikrdml  thus  ecer 
Praiie  tee  Thy  Throne  vhieh  fadeth  \ 


•  Cf.  Korln.  It.  chapter  "  Of  the  Merci/ul,"  tt.  »,  78. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Al-Muksit  I  "  Equitable  /"  make  us  know, 

Aa  men  have  wrought,  they  shall  be  wrought  teith  so. 

Three  days  before  our  Lord  Muhammad  passed, 
The)'  bore  him  to  the  mosque,  where  he  uprose — 
Painfully  leaning  upon  Omar's  neck — 
The  fever  burning  in  his  cheeks,  his  mouth 
Dry  with  the  wind  of  death,  and  that  knit  brow 
Shadowed  with  Azrael's  overhanging  wings. 
One  thin  hand  on  the  mimbar-rail  he  laid, 
Speaking  sweet  words  of  guidance,  precious  words, 
The  last  which  ever  fell  from  those  lit  lips. 
Teaching  his  Faithful. 

Then  he  gazed  around, 
And  said,  "  Ye  men  of  Mecca,  where  I  lived, 
Going  and  coming,  testifying  God, 
I  shall  die  soon;  I  pray  ye  answer  me. 
Is  there  among  ye  here  one  I  have  wronged  ? 
I  have  borne  rule,  judging  in  Allah's  name, 
That  am  a  man  and  sinful;  have  I  judged 
Unrighteously,  or  wrathfully,  or  pressed 
Too  hard  in  the  amend?    Let  who  saith  '  Tea,' 
Make  his  '  Tea '  good  before  my  people  here. 
And  I  will  bare  ray  back  that  he  may  smite. 
I  have  borne  testimony  for  the  truth, 
Not  sparing  sinners ;  speak,  if  there  be  here 
One  visited  unjustly;  let  him  shame 


Tilt:  LAST  SKHMOS  OF  TIIK  I'liOPUET.     185 

His  Prophet  now,  telling  the  sin  I  wrought 
Bi  fore  the  aaserably.    1  have  gathered  duee; 
Declare  if  I  defrauded  any  here 
Buying  or  selling." 

And  no  answer  came, 
Except  the  sound  of  sobs  and  falling  tears 
From  stem  breasts  and  the  eyes  of  bearded  men, 
UccauM  our  Lord  would  pass. 

But  one  arose, 
A  bamal,  with  his  cortl  across  his  back 
And  porter's  knot,  who  crle<l,  "  Ab<lallah's  son! 
Three  drachms  of  silver  owcst  thou  to  me 
For  wood  I  bore  thee  after  '  Ramadbant ' " 

"  Good  friend.  I  thank  thee,"  softly  said  our  Lord, 
"  Because  thou  didst  demand  thy  money  here, 
And  not  before  the  judgment  seat  of  God: 
111  is  it  if  men  thither  carry  debts!" 
Therewith  be  paid  his  debt,  kissing  the  hand 
Wherein  the  dirhems  droppc<l;  and  so  went  home 
To  die  upon  the  lap  of  Aycsha. 
With  glad  face  fixed  on  high,  and  holy  lips 
That  murmured,  "  Allah!  pardon  me  my  ainsl" 

O  ye  believers!  if  our  Lord  did  thus, 
Consider  well!  leave  no  unrightcd  wrongs 
Against  the  ill  time  when  the  Angels  come, 
Monker  and  Xakir,  gliding  through  the  dark. 
And  set  ye  up  for  question  in  the  grave; 
When  larafil  his  dreadful  trumpet  blows, 
Summoning  to  judgment;  when  the  skies  roll  back 
Like  a  scorched  .scroll,  and  o'er  the  gulf  of  hell 
AlSirit  itretchea.  " thinner  than  a  hair 


166  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

And  sharper  than  a  sword,"  and  yet  to  crossi 
Ah,  then!  what  good  one  wrought,  he  hath  of  help 
Even  to  a  date-stone ;  what  of  ill  he  wrought. 
Of  hindrance,  to  a  date-stone;  for  your  God 
Is  righteous,  and  the  distribution  just. 


Ojutt  "  DistrOmUyr!"  indine 
Our  heart)  to  keep  Thy  laws  divine. 


euJiA  -OF  women: 


AtJami'h!  praite   '  tfie  Gatherer,"  WJu)  divide* 
Evil  and  good  unto  their  proper  tidei. 

Yb  who  liclieve.  stand  ye  steadfast  in  justice, 
Witnessins  true  though  it  be  to  displease; 

Hoed  not  your  patrons,  nor  parents,  nor  kinsmen, 
Allali  is  nearer  and  richer  than  these. 

Sit  ye  not  down  in  the  seat  of  the  scornful. 
Hear  not  the  tales  which  the  hypocrites  tell; 

On  the  day  when  His  children  are  folded  together 
Al-Jami'h  shall  scatter  the  siDuers  to  hell.* 


We  Uike  Thee  for  our  Shepherd;  keep 
Safe  in  the  fold  ThyfooUth  iheep. 


'  Cf.  Kortn,  It.  ohaptar  "(M  WooMfD,"  v.  1». 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


We  praise  Thee;  but  no  need  of  praise  Thou  hast, 
Al-Ohani!  in  Thy  glm-y  bright  and  vast. 

Mighty  is  He  and  forgiving.* 
One  soul  did  He  first  create. 
Then  He  made  therefrom  a  mate: 
And  to  help  man  in  hrs  living, 
Gave  him  herds,  each  with  the  other, 
Camels,  oxen,  goats  and  sheep. 
Think  how  Allah  wakes  from  sleep 
The  babe,  close  folded  in  its  mother  I 
In  three  darknesses  He  shrouds  it; 
Wonder  upon  wonder  clouds  it. 
He  is  Maker :  can  ye  see 
All  these  tokens  and  still  be 
Thankless?    Yet,  if  so  ye  are. 
Not  beholden  to  your  care 
Is  Al-Ghanl:  self-sufficing 
Lives  liigh  Allah,  recognizing 
Gladly  all  His  creatures'  love 
In  a  changeless  peace  above. 
Judge  ye  each  for  each ;  with  God 
No  man  bears  another's  load. 
Unto  Him  is  your  return, 
Then  shall  every  spirit  learn 

*  Cf.  Koran,  xxxix.  chapter  "  Of  Troops." 


SURA   •'  OF  TROOPS." 


What  it  wrought,  and  what  is  due; 
For  He  knows  the  hearU  of  you. 


Ah,  Sttf-tufflang  One!  we  tttk 

To  pram  The«  letU,  but  uords  are  teeak. 


PEABL8  OF  THE  FAITH. 


He  is  mfficient,  and  He  makes  suffice; 
Praise  thus  again  thy  Lard,  mighty  and  wise. 

God  is  enough!  tbou,  who  in  hope  and  fear 
Toilest  through  desert-sands  of  life,  sore-tried, 

Climb  trustful  over  death's  black  ridge,  for  near 
The  bright  wells  shine:  thou  wilt  be  satisfied. 

God  doth  suffice!  O  thou,  the  patient  one. 
Who  puttest  faith  in  Hira,  and  none  beside, 

Bear  yet  thy  load;  under  the  setting  sun 
The  glad  tents  gleam ;  thou  wilt  be  satisfied. 

By  God's  gold  Afternoon!  *  peace  ye  shall  have: 
Man  is  in  loss  except  he  live  aright, 

And  help  his  fellow  to  be  firm  and  brave, 
Faithful  and  patient :  then  the  restful  night! 


Al-Mughni!  best Rewarder !  we 
Endure;  putting  our  trust  in  Thee. 


'  Cf.  Eor&n,  ciii.  chapter  "  Of  the  Afternoon." 


TUK  TWO   GATEWAYS. 


Mu'htt  and  Mdni'h  !  Heaen  Thou  matTU,  i 
Protiding  and  wtOdiolding — and  didtt  xtM. 

When  Ood  (asliioncd  Paradise,* 

Spake  He  unto  Gabriel: 
•'  See  tliis  place  wliicli  We  created. 

Where  the  justifieti  will  dwell." 
Gabriel  said,  "  lly  Lord!  I  swear 

By  Thy  glory,  none  of  men 
Ever  of  its  joys  shall  hear 

But  will  strive  to  enter  in." 

Round  about  Ills  Paradise 

Go<l  set  sorrows  and  denials; 
Laid  the  pathway  sleep  and  strait, 

Hard  to  find  and  full  of  trials. 
"Look  again!"  God  said:  and  he 

Looked,  and  came,  and  sadly  spake: 
"  By  Tliy  glorious  majesty, 

Not  one  man  will  entrance  make!" 

Then  the  Lord  created  Hell, 
Set  ablaze  its  ache  and  grieving; 

Sayin);  unto  Gabriel, 

■'  This  is  for  the  unbcliering." 

•  Cr.  "  The  IUikal«l-llfaibQi." 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Gabriel  looked  and  said,  "I  8wear, 
By  Thy  splendor,  not  a  mortal, 

When  of  hell-fire  he  shall  hear, 
Ever  will  approach  its  portal." 

Round  about  those  awful  gates 

Allah  set  soft  sins  and  pleasures; 
Made  the  pathway  broad  and  plain, 

Rich  with  joys  and  gifts  and  treasures. 
"  Look  again,"  said  God;  and  he 

Saw ;  and  spake,  ' '  Save  by  Thy  blessing, 
O  my  Lord  I  there  will  not  be 

One  that  must  not  love  transgressing." 


Lord  of  the  two-fold  roads,  we  pray 
Lead  us  upon  the  rightful  way. 


TUB  DOVE. 


"  Propitiou$"  it  lie  unto  thott  that  thmt 
Compauion  to  Bit  ereaturei;  praite  Him  to. 

"  Xo  beast  of  earth,  no  fowl  thai  flies  with  wings," 
Saith  the  great  Book,  "  but  is  a  people,  too; 

From  AlUh  sprang  their  life,  and  uato  Uini 
They  shall  return:  with  such  heed  what  ye  do!" 

There  came  before  our  Lord  a  certain  one 
Who  said,  "  O  Prophet  I  as  I  passed  the  wood, 

I  heard  the  voice  of  youngling  doves  which  cried. 
While   near    the   nest   their   pearl-necked  mother 
cooed. " 

"  Then  in  my  cloth  I  tied  those  fledglings  twain. 
But  all  the  way  the  mother  fluttered  nigh; 

See!  she  bath  followed  hither  I"    Spake  our  Lord: 
"Open  thy  knotted  cloth,  and  stand  thou  by." 

But  when  she  spied  her  nestlings,  from  the  palm 
Down  flew  the  dove,  of  peril  unafeared 

So  she  might  succor  these.     '"  Seest  thou  not." 
Our  Lord  said,  "  how  the  heart  of  this  poor  bird 

"  Grows,  by  her  love,  greater  than  his  who  rides 
Full-face  against  the  spcar-bladea?  tltinkest  thou 

Such  Are  divine  was  kindled  to  be  quenched?  . 
I  tell  ye  nay  I     Put  l>ack  upon  the  bough 


174  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITS. 

"The  nest  she  claimeth  thus.     I  tell  ye  nay! 

From  Allah's  self  cometh  this  wondrous  love: 
Yea!  and  I  swear  by  Him  who  sent  me  here. 

He  is  more  tender  than  a  nursing  dove, 

"  More  pitiful  to  men  than  she  to  these. 

Therefore  fear  God  in  whatsoe'er  ye  deal 
With  the  dumb  peoples  of  the  wing  and  hoof. 

Yours  are  they;  yet  whene'er  ye  lift  the  steel 

"To  slay  for  meat,  name  first  the  name  of  Grod, 
Saying  '  Bi  'sm  'illah!  God  judge  thee  and  me  I 

God  give  thee  patience  to  endure  to-day 
The  portion  that  He  hath  aUotted  thee. 

"So  shall  ye  eat  and  sin  not;  else  the  blood 
Crieth  against  you. "    Thus  our  Prophet  spake, 

And  Islam  doeth  it,  naming  God's  name 
Before  the  slaughter,— for  that  white  dove's  sake. 


By  those  dumb  mouths  be  ye  forgiven. 
Ere  ye  are  heard  pleading  with  Heaven. 


KISG  SllRDVAirs  PARADISE. 


AiZarr  !  "  Harmful "  He  it  to  (htm  that  »tn 
Mocking  the  truth;  O  man  !  fear  Him  herein. 

Sr|'U>dad,  the  son  of  Ad,  of  Hadramaut, 
Iituluter,  lord  of  the  land  and  sea, 
llHtb  It  come  to  ye  how  lie  mocked  at  Heaven, 
Saying  ibe  idols  of  the  coast  were  best — 
SSkia  ilial  makes  the  rain,  and  Ililfcdba 
The  Thunderer,  Kazek  who  tivcs  griiiu  ti>  men. 
And  Sillcma,  lady  of  life  and  death? — 
And  how  be  sware  an  oalli  by  those  four  gods, 
Drinking  the  palm-wine  deep  at  Hadramaut, 
That  he  would  build  a  better  Pamdisc 
Than  Allah's,  and  be  Lord  and  God  therein; 
With  earthly  Houris  fairer  than  those  maids 
Wrought  of  the  musk  and  ambergris,  who  have 
The  great  immortal  breasts  and  black-pearl  eyes; 
With  sweeter  streams  than  Salsabll,*  and  trees 
Richer  in  fruit  than  Tooba:|  this  ha  swarc, 
Abiding  not\be  judgment,  nor  the  blasts 
Of  IsralU,  nor  weighing  of  the  scales. 
Wherefore  he  gave  command  that  there  be  built 
In  Akhaf,  on  the  hills,  beyond  the  sand — 
Within  a  hollow  Tale  walled  by  wild  peaks— 


•  A  (trrain  of  I'aradlM. 

t  The  Trre  cf  llapplnniii,  which  gtotn  from  Muhunmad'i  pft- 
Tllioo  In  I 


176  PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 

A  pleasure-house — beautiful  with  white  courts 
Of  levelled  marble,  and  in  every  court 
A  fountain,  sparkling  from  a  tank  inlaid 
With  amber,  nacre,  coral;  and  around, 
In  every  court,  cloisters  of  columns  carved 
With  reeded  shafts  and  frontals,  wonderful 
For  beast  and  bird  and  fish  and  leaf  and  flower. 
And  round  about  this  pleasure-house  he  bade 
A  lovely  garden  bloom,  terraced  by  lanes 
Bosky  with  blossoming  trees  and  rose-thickets. 
Where  hidden  streamlets  murmured  and  gold  fruit 
Loaded  the  boughs,  and  all  the  air  was  balm. 
He  gave  command,  moreover,  that  there  rise 
Hard  by,  with  streets  and  markets,  a  fair  town 
Peopled  by  ministers  of  pleasure,  and  walled 
With  ramparts  of  the  rose  and  pomegranate; 
Wherethrough  there  led  a  double  folding  gate. 
Fashioned  of  fragrant  woods,  and  set  with  stars 
Of  silver,  opening  downwards  to  the  vale. 
Inscribed  "The  Paradise  of  King  SheddSd." 

And  when  the  house  was  made,  and  all  the  courts 
Were  girdled  with  the  carven  shafts,  and  cooled 
With  leaping  fountains;  and  the  roses,  blown. 
Filled  the  green  vale  with  sweetness;  and  the  town 
Was  heaped  with  grain  and  wine,  and  people  moved 
Busy  and  glad  about  its  new  fair  streets. 
Sbeddad  set  forth.     A  shining  line  of  spears. 
League-long,  wound  first  upon  the  mountain-path; 
And  after  them  the  camel-litters,  decked 
With  silk  and  gold,  and  poles  of  silver,  came 
Bearing  the  Houris  of  his  Paradise; 
And  next  the  Prince  amid  his  lords:  so  clomb 
The  gay  march  up  the  sandy  steeps,  or  streamed 


AV.Vr?   SIlEDD4Df<  PAIiADlSE.  177 

Down  the  gray  wadis.     At  the  head  of  all 
Rode  one  who  held  a  flag  of  yellow  silk, 
Which  had  for  iu  device,  "  Amui  his  god$, 
Shtdildd.  the  ten  of  Ad.  of  Ihidramaut, 
L'tutsked  of  Attah,  uendt  to  Parmlue." 

That  night  they  entered  at  the  silver  gate, 
Making  liold  cliccr;  and  sweet  the  garden  was. 
And  green  the  groves,  and  liriglit  the  pleasure  house 
Lit  with  a  thousand  scented  lamps,  and  loud 
With  dance  and  cymbal  and  the  beat  of  drum. 
But  when  the  golden  horse-shoe  ^f  the  moon 
Wani-d  in  the  west,  there  came  into  the  sky 
Three  clouds;  and  one  was  while  and  had  the  shape 
Of  a  winge<l  angel:  one  wus  red  and  burned 
Across  the  planets  like  a  blazing  sword : 
And  one,  thick  black,  gathered  nround  the  head 
Of  a  bare  hollow  mountain,  seamed  with  gaps 
And  caverns,  whercfrom— full  upon  their  feast — 
Brake,  of  a  sudden,  flame  and  cataracts 
Of  blood-red  molten  rock,  with  pilchy  smoke 
Veiling  the  heavens,  and  rain  of  blinding  dust, 
All  pierced  by  livid  lightning  spears,  and  driven 
By  fierce  winds,  hotter  than  the  breath  of  hell; 
Which  sucked  the  streams,  and  parched  the  trees,  and 

dried 
Life  from  the  Ixvly,  as  a  furnace  draws 
The  moisture  from  the  potter's  clay,  while  earth 
I^)ckcd,  quakini::  and  the  thunder's  vengeful  voice 
Rolled  horrible  from  crag  to  crag,  and  mocked 
The  death  cry  of  those  chokctl  idolaters: 
Whereof,  when  the  sun  rose,  there  breatheti  not  one; 
Nor  any  green  thing  lingered  in  the  vale; 
Nor  road  nor  gate  appeared;  nor  might  a  man 


178  PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 

Say  where  the  garden  of  King  SheddSd  stood: 
So  were  the  -ways  uptorn,  and  that  fair  sin 
Blotted  from  vision  by  the  wrath  of  God. 

Yet  to  this  day  there  lurketh — lost  to  riew 
Of  all  men,  hardly  found  by  wandering  wolf, 
Spied  seldom  by  the  vulture's  hungry  eye — 
The  remnant  of  the  garden  of  Iram. 
Deep  in  the  wilderness  of  Aden,  hid 
Behind  wild  peaks,  and  fenced  with  burning  sands, 
The  perished  relics  of  that  pleasaunce  lie 
Which  Sheddad  made,  mocking  the  power  of  God: 
And  one  who  tended  ^amels  in  the  land, 
Abdallah-Ebn-Kelabah,  seeking  there 
A  beast  estrayed,  followed  her  footmarks  up 
Into  a  gorge,  which  split  a  cliff  in  twain 
From  sky  to  sand,  dark  as  the  heart  of  night. 
With  thickets  at  its  mouth  aad  jutting  rocks. 
Therethrough  he  pushed,  and  when  the  light  once  m 
Glimmered  and  grew,  he  spied  a  hollow,  shut 
In  the  gaunt  barren  peaks,  with  black  dust  strewn. 
And  piled  with  cindery  crags  and  bladdered  slag, 
In  midst  of  which  la}- — plain  to  see— the  bones 
Of  Sheddfid's  city  and  his  pleasure-liiiuse; 
All  with  their  withered  gardens,  and  the  gate 
Rusted  and  ruined;  and  the  cloistered  courts 
Swathed  in  the  death-drift,  and  the  marble  tanks 
Choked  to  their  brims;  the  carven  columns  fall'n 
Or  thrust  awr}';  the  bright  pavilions  foul 
With  ashes,  and  with  remnants  of  the  dead: 
For  Ebn-Kelabah  passed  into  the  place. 
And  saw  the  valley  thronged  with  carcases 
Of  men  and  women  and  the  townspeople — 
Not  mouldered,  as  is  wont,  to  whitened  bone, 


KrxG  an  AD  DA  ns  r.i/jj /)/.</■;.        no 

But  dried,  by  the  hot  blasts  of  that  dread  night. 

Unto  ft  life  in  death;  tlie  skin  and  flesh 

Yet  clinging,  and  the  robes  of  frstiTul 

Still  gay  of  color;  all  those  sinful  ones 

Slain  in  thi-ir  sin  even  where  the  whirlwind  stnirkr 

So  that  he  saw  tho  dancers  as  they  fell 

With  dancing-dress  and  timbrels;  and  llie  ring 

Of  watchers  round  them;  and  tho  slaves  who  mndo 

Their  music;  and  the  bearers  bringing  wine, 

Each  by  his  shrivelled  wineskin,  dead  and  dry. 

Also  within  the  courts,  lay  corpses  slim. 

Rich-clad  and  delicate,  with  jewelled  necks. 

The  Houris  of  that  ruined  Paradise. 

The  sunken  eyes  stared,  and  the  drawn  lips  grinned 

Under  dead  rose-crowns,  and  the  shapely  limbs 

Were  grown  too  lean  for  the  loose  tarnished  gold 

(ff  armlet  and  of  anklet:  dusty  lay 

Strings  of  dulled  jewels  on  their  shrunken  breasts; 

And  brimmed  with  dust  the  cups  were  which  they  clasped 

In  stiff  discoliirctl  fingers.     In  their  midst 

Sale,  oil  a  gape.  King  SheddAd,  for  a  throne 

Proppcil  his  dead  form,  and  round  the  waist  of  it 

A  sword  hung,  in  a  belt  of  gold  and  silk, 

Hilted  with  pearls  and  rubies.     This  he  took — 

The  camel-man — and  glided,  terrified. 

Back  from  llml  City  of  the  Dead;  and  found 

The   night-black    gorge,    and    groped    his    way,    and 

brou'.;lit 
The  sword  and  sword-hilt  into  Iladramiiut, 
Telling  the  dread  things  seen  of  Allah's  wmtb 
Wrought  on  the  misliclievers;  and  their  streets 
Wrecked,  and  their  |>ainled  courts,  peopled  with  dead. 
Such  awful  end  came  on  the  men  of  Ad. 
Who  made  the  Hoaae  of  Iram:  and  iheii  lord. 


180  PEARLS  OF  TEE  FAITH. 

But  no  foot  since  hath  found  that  road  again, 
Nor  shall;  till  Israfil  sets  to  his  lips 
The  trumpet,  and  Az-Zarr  will  bid  him  blow. 


O  Harmful  unto  mockers  !  we 
Know  and  adore  Thy  majesty. 


SURA   ••  OF  LIQUr." 


An-Soor!  "  The  Light"  that  lightena  all  tcho  IU< 
ily  this  great  name  to  Allah  glory  gice. 

Of  earth  and  heaven  God  is  the  Light.* 

As  when  a  lamp  upon  a  height 

Is  set  within  n  uiclic,  and  glenms 

From  forth  the  glittering  glass,  and  seems 

A  star,— wide  fall  the  rays  of  it:— 

So  shines  His  glorj-,  and  'tis  lit 

With  holy  oil  was  never  pressed 

From  olive  tree  in  east  or  west. 

It  hurneth  without  touch  of  flame, 

A  light  beyond  all  light ;  the  same 

Guideth  the  feet  of  men,  and  still 

Ue  leadcth  by  it  whom  He  will. 


Light  of  the  aorU!  An-Noor!  illume 
Our  darkling  pathway  to  the  tomb. 


'  a.  KoriD,  xzlT.  chapter  "  0(  UghV 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITK 


AUHddi !  Lord  !  the  way  is  Tiard,  and  we, 

Thy  creatures,  have  none  otfwi-  "  Guide"  than  Thee 

By  many  names  and  guides  doth  God 
Lead  men  along  the  upward  road ; 
He,  unto  each  land  under  Heaven, 
A  prophet  of  its  own  hath  given: 
Had,  Idris,  Eyoob,  Moses, — all 
Upon  the  self-same  Lord  did  call; 
Seeing  there  is  no  way  besides 
His  way,  the  Guider  of  the  guides; 
Nor  any  light  to  mortals  known 
Except  Al-H4dl— His  alone. 

'Tis  told,  nigh  to  a  city-gate 
Four  fellow-travellers  hungry  sate, 
An  Arab,  Persian,  Turk,  and  Greek; 
And  one  was  chosen  forth,  to  seek 
Their  evening  meal,  with  dirhems  thrown 
Into  a  common  scrip;  but  none 
Could  with  his  fellows  there  agree 
What  meat  therewith  should  purchased  be. 
"Buy  uzum,"  quoth  the  Turk,  "which  food 
Is  cheaper,  sweeter,  or  so  good?" 
"  Not  so,"  the  Arab  cried,  "  I  say 
Buy  ayieb,  and  the  most  ye  may." 
"  Name  not  thy  trash!"  the  Persian  said, 
"  Who  knoweth  uzum  or  aneb  f 


THE  FOUR   rRAYKLLERS. 

Bring  anghur,  for  tho  country's  store 
la  ripe  and  rich."    The  Greek,  who  bore 
Their  dirhcms,  clamored,  "  What  ill  thing 
Is  anghur  t    Surely  I  will  bring 
SUtphylion  green,  ataphytion  black, 
And  a  fair  meal  .ve  shall  not  lack." 
Thus  wrangled  lliey,  and  set  to  try 
With  blows  what  provend  he  should  buy, 
When,  lo!  before  their  eyes  did  pass, 
Laden  with  gmpes,  a  gardener's  asa. 
Sprantj  to  hi.^  feet  each  man,  and  showed 
With  eager  hand,  that  purple  load. 
■•  See  mum .'"  said  tlio  Turk;  and  "  See 
Anghur.'"  the  Persian;  "  what  should  be 
Better.'"     '■  Xay.  aith  .'  aneh  'lisl" 
The  Arab  cried.     The  Greek  said,  "This 
Is  mv  iUiphyliun  .'"     Then  they  bought 
Their  grapes  in  peace. 

Hence  bo  ye  taught  1 


But  unto  us  Thy  ehangeUm  name 
It  AUah—prauid  be  the  tamt. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Al-Azalif  AUB&H  !  praise  to  T/iee 
Who  wait  before  Beginning,  and  will  be 
After  the  Ending.     From  Thy  mercy  came 
Man's  breath,  and  unto  Tliee  returns  the  same. 

Al  Aakaf*  saith — the  seventh  of  "  the  Book:" — 
In  the  Beginning  God  from  Adam  took 
All  who  should  be  his  seed,  and  bade  them  bear 
Witness  upon  themselves,  putting  His  fear 
And  knowledge  in  the  hearts  of  all  to  be, 
As  salt  is  set  in  all  the  waves  of  the  sea. 
A  countless,  nameless,  throng  there  gathered  they, 
That  unborn  multitude;  and  God  did  say, 
"Testify!     Am  I  not  your  Lord?"     And  those 
Replied,  "Yea,  Lord!  we  testify!"    Propose 
Never,  then,  Man!  to  say,  "  we  did  not  have 
Guidance;"  it  shall  be  answered,  "  Allah  gave 
With  life  that  light  which  leadeth  to  the  grave." 

And  in  the  chapter  of  "  Ya  Sin"  f  it  saith — 
Read  in  the  Muslim's  ear  at  hour  of  death:  J — 
A  blast!  and  then  another  blast!  and,  lol 
At  summons  of  the  trumpet,  all  shall  go 


■  Cf.  Koran,  chapter  vii.  verse  178. 

■  Koran,  chapter  xixvi. 

;  This  Sura  is  recited  at  the  death-beds  of  Mnhammedans, 


SURA   "OF  TA  BIN."  185 

Forth  from  their  gravo-bciis,  thronging  once  again 
Unto  their  Lord;  and  some,  in  fear  and  pain, 
Shall  cry,  "  Woe,  wool  what  wakctb  us?    Is  this 
Ood'a  word  come  truer"  and  some,  in  joy  and  bliss. 
Shall  say,  "  Now,  praise  toQod!   His  prophets  spake 
Truth  unto  us."     For  all  mankind  shall  wake 
Together,  at  the  trumpet ;  and  shall  wend 
Together,  to  the  Judgment,  in  the  end. 

And  no  soul  shall  be  wronged  in  that  dread  place 
For  aught  not  wrought;  nor  any  soul  find  grace 
Except  for  what  it  wrought;  and  there  shall  fall 
Endless  delight  in  Paradise  on  all 
Who  kept  that  witness!  happy  they  shall  be 
Reclining  with  sweet  consorts,  'ncatb  the  Tree 
Which  bears  all  fniits,  and  groweth  by  the  Throne. 
And  they  shall  hear  the  Lord  sny  to  Ilis  own, 
"  Pkace!" — they  shall  hear  the  Merciful  say  so. 

But  to  the  sinners  shall  l)c  thundered,  "  Ool 
Divide  herefrom!  diil  not  ye  testify?" 
"  Yea,  dreadful  Lordl" — thus  shall  they  make  reply. 
Descending  into  Hell. 


T^y  mercy  tend, 
Thou,  the  BeffiniUng  aiui  the  Bndl 


PBA&L8  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Inheritor  !  aU  thingi  proceed  from  Thee, 
And  recommitted  to  Thy  hands  shall  be. 

The  chapter  of  Al-Hajar:*  There  is  nought 
But  from  the  treasury  of  God  was  brought ; 

Such  and  so  much  He  lends  them;  winds  and  waters; 
Have  ye  the  store  of  these  things,  or  of  aught? 

Did  ye  set  in  the  sky  the  starry  band, 

Or  pile  the  mountain  peaks  upon  the  land? 

Verily  He  hath  made  and  will  unmake  them. 
And  all  these  shall  return  into  His  hand. 

"O  Rose!"  the  Dewdrop  said,    "whence  didst  thou 

spring. 
That  art  so  sweet  and  proud  and  fair  a  thing?" 

"  From  dust  I  sprang,"  she  said,  "  and  ere  to-morrow 
Back  to  the  dust  I  shall  be  mouldering." 

"  O  Dewdrop!"  said  the  Rose,  "  where  didst  thou  gain 
This  light,  that  like  a  gem  on  me  hath  lain?" 

"  A  cloud,"  he  said,  "  uplifted  me  from  ocean. 
And  I  must  trickle  to  the  deep  again." 

The  Bulbul  heard;  "  O  Allah's  rose!"  it  said, 
"  The  air  is  fragrant  with  thee,  being  dead; 

O  Allah's  Dewdrop!  ere  the  sea  did  suck  thee, 
She  was  the  fairer;  be  thou  comforted!" 

*  Cf.  Koran,  chapter  xy.  verse  21. 


THE  ROSB  AJ/J>  lUE  DBWDROP.       187 

For  saith  the  chapter  of  AJ-IIajar:  "Tell 
My  servants  I  have  made  the  heavens  well, 

And  the  earth  well,  and  with  a  steadfast  purpose; 
And  Paradise  is  Mine,  and  Mine  is  Hell."* 


InKtrilor  !  all  thing*  are  Tkim; 
Ai^  Waritk!  O  TJum  might  Dimml 


>  Ct  KortD,  zv.  w.  «^  8a. 


PEARLS  OF  THE  FAITH. 


Earth  knows,  Tieaven  ahowa  ;  the  holy  scriptures  say, 
How  righteous  and  "  unerring"  is  Thy  way. 

"  We  sent  it  down  upon  the  '  Night  of  Power,'  * 

The  Book  which  '  doth  declare' 
In  all  the  year  that  night  is  best:  one  hour 

Thereof,  in  praise  and  prayer, 

"  Is  worth  a  thousand  days  of  joy,  for  then 

The  Angels  bear  commands, 
Bringing  the  will  of  Al-Raschld  to  men; 

Descending  on  all  lands. 

"  Peace  ruleth  till  the  rising  of  that  dawn, 

While  Allah  doth  ordain 
How  many  souls  those  twelve  moons  shall  be  bom, 

How  many  shall  attain. 

"  His  mercy;  for  the  books  are  brought  of  these. 

And  each  account  is  cast; 
And  Allah  maketh  'the  allowances,' 

Accepting  souls  at  last." 

Thus  spake  our  Lord,  and  Ayesha  replied,! 

"  O  Prophet!  are  there  none 
Accepted,  save  by  mercy?"    "None!"  he  cried. 

By  God!  I  say  not  one!" 


TEX  PROPHETS  OATH. 

"  Not  thou!— not  even  thou!— tt^m  not  to  go, 

UnqucstionetV,  inlo  heaven. 
Who  walked  with  Allah's  Angels,  and  below 

Taught  us  the  message  given?" — 

He  drew  his  cloth  across  his  bended  face 

And  thrice  he  spako  to  her: 
"  Except  God's  mercy  cover  me  with  grace, 

I  shall  not  enter  there!" 


0  Al-lia»e?t!d  !  and  if  not  he, 
Inereat  lu  u»  Thy  clemency. 


ISLAM. 


0  Umng-kind,  "  long  suffering"  Lord  !  mux  mere 
We  praise  l?iee,  magnifying  Az-Zaboor. 

Patient  is  Allah,  and  He  loveth  well 

The  patient,  saith  "  the  Book,"  *  and  such  as  dwell 

In  kindness,  asking  pardon  of  their  sins 
Each  dawn,  and  pardoning  the  blamable. 

Isldmf  this  is  the  Faith!  thyself  resign. 
Soul,  mind,  and  body,  to  the  will  divine: 

The  kingdom  and  the  glory  and  the  power 
Are  God's,  and  God's  the  government, — not  thine  I 

There  is  no  god  but  God!  and  He  is  All; 
And  whatso  doth  befall  ye  doth  befall 

By  His  decree:  therefore,  with  fear  and  love 
Upon  His  glorious  names  devoutly  call. 


AUah !  His  holy  wiU  be  done! 
Isldm  ! — we  bow  befm-e  Sis  throne. 


'  Ct.  Eor&u,  iil  v.  15,  clupter  "  Of  Imran's  Family.' 


NOTES. 


rage  15,  Um  17.— One  version  of  tins  legend  says  that 
Boliiirah  (or  Zulmrab)  herself,  the  spirit  of  the  planet 
Venus,  descended  to  tempt  the  two  Angels.  HarQt  and 
ftfarill  lire  fublcd  to  Ije  conflncd  still  in  the  vicinity  of 
Ii«l>cl,  where  a  man  may  go  to  learn  sorcery  of  them, 
bearing  their  voices,  but  never  seeing  their  forms. 

Page  17,  Une  30.— Gabriel,  or  Jibrall,  is  called  in  Ara 
bian  Uieology  liifhel-Amin,  "the  Faithful  Spirit,"  or 
RiVhelKudiiiu.  "  the  Holy  Spirit."  It  was  he  who  de- 
livered the  Konln  tu  Muhammad. 

Page  18,  line  3.— A  commentator  on  this  legend  writes: 
"  Some  say  that  Soluuiun  brought  these  horses,  being 
a  tboii.saiid  in  number,  from  Damascus  and  Nisibis, 
which  cities  he  had  taken;  others  say  that  they  were  left 
him  by  his  father,  who  took  them  from  the  Amalekiles; 
while  others,  who  prefer  the  marvellous,  pretend  that 
they  came  up  out  of  the  sea,  and  had  wings.  However, 
Solomon,  having  one  day  a  mind  to  view  the  horses, 
onlered  them  to  be  brought  before  him.  and  was  so 
taken  up  with  them  that  he  siwnt  the  remainder  of  the 
day,  till  after  suniwt,  in  looking  on  tlicm;  by  which 
menns  he  almutit  neglected  the  prayer,  which  ought  to 
havo  been  said  at  that  lime,  till  it  was  too  late:  but 
when  lui  perceived  his  onussioo,  he  was  so  greatly  coa- 
cemed  at  it,  that  ordering  the  horses  to  be  brought  bkck. 


193  NOTES. 

he  killed  them  all  as  an  offering  to  God,  except  only  a 
hundred  of  the  best  of  them.  But  God  made  him  ample 
amends  for  the  loss,  by  giving  him  dominion  over  the 
winds." 

Page  18,  Urie  17.— Arafat  is  a  mountain  near  Mecca,  so 
named  from  the  tradition  that  Adam,  upon  his  repent" 
ance,  was  reunited  there  to  Eve,  after  a  separation  of 
two  hundred  years. 

Page  23,  lim  1.— Israfll  is  one  of  the  Archangels,  who 
will  sound  the  last  trumpet  at  the  resurrection.  He  has 
"  the  sweetest  voice  of  all  God's  creatures." 

Page  33,  line  13.  — Iblls, ' '  He  who  despairs, "  is  Shaitfin, 
or  Satan,  who  fell  from  Heaven  on  account  of  arro- 
gantly refusing  to  pay  reverence  to  Adam  at  the  creation, 
when  all  the  other  Angels  worshipped  the  first  man. 

Page  23,  line  1. —  Wuzu'h,  or  washing  (either  with 
actual  water,  or  by  imitating  the  process  with  sand, 
etc.),  must  precede  all  those  prayers  which  are  fai-z,  or 
"  incumbent."  These  are  commenced  in  a  standing  at' 
titude,  Kiydm,  the  thumbs  touching  the  lobes  of  the 
ears  and  the  face  turning  towards  Mecca. 

Page  34,  line  9. — The  "  Companions  of  the  right  hand" 
are  so  called  because  they  will  have  the  book  of  their 
good  deeds  put  into  their  right  hands  in  token  of  salva- 
tion; while  evil-doers  will  have  their  scroll  of  condem- 
nation, at  the  last  day,  thrust  into  their  left  hands. 

Page  34,  line  13. — "  Such,  moreover,  as  of  old  time," 
etc.  These  are  the  early  prophets  and  holy  teachers  in 
all  nations.  The  text  of  the  Koran  calls  them  "the 
leaders,  the  leaders!"  that  emphatic  repetition  denoting 
their  dignity,  and  the  assurance  of  their  prominence  in 
the  final  reward. 


Piige  25,  line  23.—"  Mnwzlrccs."  The  originul  word 
((iM'  iniiy  menu  cither  Ihc  phtutaiii,  or  that  acacia  which 
has  small  round  golden  blossoms. 

Page  26,  lint  1.— Sale  has  a  citation  upon  these  privi- 
leged attributes  of  the  llouris.  "Alloli  has  created 
them  purposely  of  tlucr  materials  than  the  fcmulcs  of 
this  world,  p.nd  .subject  to  none  of  tho.se  iucouvcuicnces 
which  are  natural  to  the  sex.  Some  understand  this 
passage  of  the  beautiful  women;  who.  though  they  died 
old  and  ill-favored,  shall  yet  all  bo  restored  to  their 
youth  and  beauty  in  Paradise." 

PageT,.  line  8.— "At  Azan."  The  time  of  the  call 
to  prayer,  and  especially  after  the  sun  lias  begun  to 
decline. 

Page  81.  line  13.—"  And  spider."  Oneof  the  Sflrasof 
the  Korfin,  the  20th,  is  named  after  this  insect. 

Pvje  82.— •■  The  Verse  of  the  Throne."  This  (which 
is  often  engravctl  on  seal  rings  in  the  East)  is  so  called 
from  the  word  Koortiy,  the  "  chair  or  throne"  of  Allah, 
which  occurs  in  the  sublime  passage  cited.  In  the 
judgment  of  Muhammedans  the  "  Throne- Verse"  is  one 
of  the  noblest  portions  of  the  Korfln,  surpassing  iu 
majesty  of  diction  all  other  human  compositions.  It  is 
taken  from  the  2d  SOra.  verso  256,  and  is  rendered  very 
exactly,  as  below,  by  Jlr.  Rcdhousc  (to  whose  most 
leanied  and  laborious  article  iu  the  "Journal  of  the 
Royal  Asiatic  Society,"  January,  1880,  my  indebtedness 
has  l)ccn  extremely  great): 

"  Goil,  save  whom  there  is  no  Go<l,  is  the  Living,  the 
Self  existing  One.  Drowsiness  overcomelh  Ilim  not, 
nor  sleep.  I'nto  Him  bclougcth  whatever  is  in  the 
heavens,  and  whatever  is  in  the  earth.     Who  is  be  that 


194  ^'OT!;.S. 

shall  make  intercession  with  Him,  save  by  His  per- 
mission? He  knowelh  whatever  is  before  them,  and 
whatever  is  behind  them;  and  they  comprehend  not  a 
single  matter  of  His  knowledge,  save  only  that  which 
He  hath  willed.  His  firmament  spans  the  heavens  and 
the  earth,  the  preservation  whereof  doth  not  distress 
Him.     And  He  is  the  Most  High,  the  Most  Supreme." 

JV.B. — Each  chapter  of  the  KorSn  is  called  a  Sura,  a 
term  signifying  a  course  of  bricks  in  a  wall;  and  the 
Suras  are  divided  into  'dydt,  verses,  or  more  literally 
"signs." 

Page  33.— This  Sura,  59,  is  known  as  the  chapter  "Of 
the  Emigration." 

Pae/e  34,  line  1.— The  Muslim  doctors  call  the  scriptu- 
ral Terah,  the  father  of  Abraham,  by  the  name  of  Azar. 
This  was  also  the  title  of  the  god  of  the  planet  Mars. 
Abraham's  father  is  moreover  styled  Zarah  in  the  Tal- 
mud, and  Athar  also,  by  Eusebius. 

Page  34,  line  25.—"  Friend  of  Allah."  The  Muslims 
so  denominate  Abraham,  Al-KIialU. 

Page  37.— This  is  suggested  from  Sura  35,  the  chapter 
"  Of  the  Angels,"  or  "  Of  the  Originator."  The  Arch- 
angel Gabriel  is  said  to  have  appeared  to  Muhammad, 
on  the  night  of  his  journey  to  Heaven,  having  no  less 
than  three  hundred  pairs  of  wings! 

Page  38,  line  15.— "  Michael,"  or  Mika"il.  The  Arch- 
angel here  named  was  especially  the  guardian  of  the 
Jews.  The  Israelites  of  Mecca  told  JIuhammad  that 
they  would  have  received  his  Koran,  if  Michael  instead 
of  Gabriel  had  revealed  it. 

Page  39,  line  15. — "Azrael."  The  Archangel  of 
Death. 


Pitge  40,  line  1. — "  God's  Friend."  Mile  note  on  page 
85.  line  15. 

Bige  44.  line  16.—"  People  of  tlic  bcucli.  "  This  was 
the  name  given  to  the  poor  persons  wlioni  the  Propliet 
sustaiuctl  hy  alms  every  day.  and  who  used  to  wait  for 
his  gifts,  silting  upon  the  bench  outside  iluhammad's 
house  itt  Medina. 

Pivje  49.— The  very  remarkable  SQra  quoted  here,  en- 
titled sometimes  "  'I'lic  Brightness."  came  to  the  prophet 
thus:  •'  It  is  related  that  no  revelation  having  been 
vouchsafed  to  Muhammad  for  several  days,  in  answer 
to  some  (lucstions  jiut  to  him  by  the  Kureisb,  because  he 
had  confidently  promised  to  resolve  Ihem  the  next  day. 
without  adding  the  exception,  if  it  pUate  God,  or  be- 
cause he  had  repulsed  an  importunate  beggar,  or  else 
because  a  dead  puppy  lay  under  his  seat,  or  for  some 
other  reason;  his  enemies  said  that  Go<l  had  left  him: 
whereupon  this  chapter  was  sent  down  for  his  consola- 
tion." 

Page  SO.— "The  Journey  of  the  Night."  "It  is  a 
dispute."  writes  Sale,  "among  the  Muhammedan  di- 
vines, whether  their  Prophet's  night-journey  was  really 
performed  by  him  corporally,  or  whether  it  was  only  a 
dream  or  vision.  Some  think  the  whole  was  no  more  tbnu 
a  vision;  and  allege  an  express  tradition  of  Moflwiyah. 
one  of  Muhammad's  succes.«ors.  to  that  purpose.  Others 
suppose  he  was  carried  bo<lily  to  Jenisalcm.  but  no  far- 
ther; and  that  he  ascended  thence  to  Heaven  in  spirit 
only.  But  the  received  opinion  Is,  that  it  wag  no  vision, 
but  that  he  was  actually  transported  In  the  body  to  bis 
Journey's  end;  and  if  any  impossibility  be  objected, 
they  think  it  a  sulllcicnt  answer  to  sjiy.  that  It  might 
easily  be  effected  by  an  omnipotent  agent." 


Page  51,  line  25.—"  One  Fdtihah."  The  name  of  the 
opening  prayer  of  Muhammedans. 

Page  52,  line  22. — "  Monker  and  Naldr"  are  the  two 
Angels -who  conduct  "the  examination  of  the  Tomb." 
They  come  to  a  man  directly  he  is  laid  in  his  grave,  and 
catechise  him  as  to  his  faith.  If  he  repeats  quickly  and 
gladly  the  formula  of  Islam,  they  cause  him  to  repose 
in  peace;  but  if  he  is  uncertain  or  heterodox,  they  he- 
labor  him  with  iron  clubs,  till  his  cries  are  so  bitter  that 
they  are  heard  all  through  the  earth,  except  by  men  and 
Djins.  Then  the  two  black  Ministers  press  the  clay 
down  upon  the  corpse,  and  leave  it  to  be  wasted  and 
consumed  till  the  time  of  resurrection. 

Page  59,  liiie  15. — "  'Hadith."  The  traditional  sayings 
which  supplement  the  KorSn. 

Page  60,  line  2.—"  Zem-Zem."  This  is  the  holy  well 
at  Mecca,  within  the  sacred  precincts,  believed  to  be 
that  very  spring  which  was  revealed  to  Hagar  when  she 
fled  with  Ishmael. 

Page  62. — This  legend  of  Nimrdd  is  alluded  to  in 
Sura  21  of  the  KorSn,  entitled  the  "  Chapter  of 
Prophets." 

Page  63,  line  19.—"  Black  Hallmah."  The  Prophet 
was  suckled  by  a  Bedouin  foster-nurse. 

Page  64,  line  6. — "HirS."  Awildand  solitary  moun- 
tain near  Mecca. 

Page  68,  line  5.—''Mikdt."  These  are  the  last  six 
stages  on  the  journey  to  Mecca.  The  i'hrdm,  or  "garb 
of  sanctity,"  consists  of  two  wrappers  without  seams, 
one  bound  round  the  waist,  the  other  passed  over  the 
shoulders.     The  taicdf  is  the  seven-fold  circuit  of  the 


Caabab,    mado   three  time*  quickly,   and   four  tiinos 
slowly,  by  all  pilgrims. 

Pagt  73,  line  4.  — "  Yc  let  stray  your  shccamcls." 
Nothing  is  held  more  valuable  amoog  the  goods  of  an 
Arab  than  a  shecauiel  near  to  foaling. 

Page  73.  Unt  13.— "Who  killed  thee,  little  maid?" 
This  alludes  to  the  ancient  pnu-liceof  infanticide  among 
the  Arab-s,  which  Muhammad  strenuously  denounced. 

Page  74,  line  7. — "  Ho  saw  it  and  he  heard."  Allud- 
ing to  the  Prophet  and  his  journey  to  Heaven. 

Page  79,  Utu':.—'- Al-Akluif  is  the  plural  of  Uekf, 
and  signifies  "lands  which  lie  in  a  winding  or  narrow 
boundary."  specially  applied  to  a  district  in  the  province 
of  Hadramaut. 

PageSQ.  Uiu  U.—"Al-K<i>ithar."  This  word  signi- 
fies abundance,  especially  of  good,  and  thence  the  gift  of 
itisdom  and  prophecy.  Or  it  may  mean  abundance  of 
leealth.  follomir$,  and  the  like.  It  is  here  uscil  of  a  river 
in  Paradise,  whence  the  water  is  derived  into  Muham- 
mad's pond,  of  which  the  ble.«sed  arc  to  drink  before 
their  admission.  According  to  a  tradition  of  the 
Prophet,  this  river,  wherein  his  Lord  promised  liim 
abundant  good,  is  sweeter  than  honey,  whiter  than 
milk,  cooler  than  snow,  and  smoother  than  cream ;  its 
banks  arc  of  chrysolites,  and  those  who  drink  of  it  shall 
never  thirst. 

Bigt  87,  lin«  2.—"AlT<ireJc"  is  the  "star  that  ap- 
pears" by  night,  i.e. ,  tlic  morning  star. 

Pagt  88.  line  1.—"  Wion  the  soul  coraes  to  the 
neck."    A  Korftnic  phrase  for  the  last  ga.<p  of  death. 


Page  92,  line  20.—"  The  roses  on  that  tree."  In  the 
mystic  language  of  the  East,  the  rose  is  the  symbol  of 
that  Divine  beauty  which  is  the  object  of  the  soul's  love. 

Page^i,  line  16. — "Hilliyun."  Tliis  means  literally 
"exalted  places." 

Page  95,  line  4. — "Tasmin."  A  stream  in  Paradise, 
so  called  because  it  waters  tlie  highest  regions  there. 

Page  96,  line  12.— "  Al-Fdtihah."  This  is  the  1st 
chapter  of  the  Koran,  which  is  also  a  prayer,  and  held 
in  great  veneration  by  the  Muhammedans,  who  give 
it  many  honorable  titles;  as  the  chapter  of  prayer,  of 
praise,  of  llianksgimng,  of  treasure,  etc.  They  regard 
it  as  the  quintessence  of  the  whole  Koran,  and  often  re- 
peat it  in  their  devotions  both  public  and  private,  as 
Christians  do  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

Page  96,  line  24. — "The  morning  mills."  At  day- 
break in  Eastern  countries  almost  the  first  sound  of 
awaking  domestic  life  is  the  noise  of  the  stones  used  to 
grind  meal. 

Page  98,  line  6. — "The  time  for  prayer,"  says  Pro- 
fessor Palmer,  "  is  called  from  the  minarets  of  the 
mosques  by  Muezzins  or  criers,  in  the  following  words: 
'God  is  great'  (4  times);  'I  bear  witness  that  there  is 
no  God  but  God  '  (twice);  '  I  bear  witness  that  Muhara 
mad  is  the  apostle  of  God'  (twice);  'Come  hither  to 
prayers'  (twice);  'Come  hither  to  salvation'  (twice); 
'  God  is  just! '  '  There  is  no  other  God  than  God! '  In 
the  early  morning  the  Muezzin  adds,  '  Prayer  is  better 
than  sleep!'" 

Page  101  (nofe).— "The  Mishkdt-al-Mdsdirih."  The 
book  of  the  conversations  of  the  Prophet. 


Pngt  106,  line  l.—LaUatalKadr.  "The  Night  of 
Power."  was  that  on  which  Iho  Korfla  was  declared  to 
have  been  revculed. 

Pivje  133.  Uiu  18.—"  AlBartakJi"  The  Korflu  says, 
"Behind  them  shall  be  a  bar,  until  the  day  of  resurrec- 
tion." Upon  this  Sjile  writes:  "  The  original  word 
barzakh.  here  translated  •  bar,"  primarily  signifies  any 
partition,  or  interstice,  which  divides  one  thing  from 
anulhcr;  but  is  used  by  the  Arabs  not  always  in  the 
same,  and  sometimes  in  an  obscure  sense.  They  seem 
generally  to  express  by  it  what  the  Qreuks  did  by  the 
word  Llades;  one  whde  using  it  for  the  place  of  the 
dead,  another  while  for  the  time  of  their  continuance  in 
that  state,  and  another  while  for  the  state  itself.  It  is 
defined  by  their  critics  to  be  the  interval  or  sjmce  be- 
tween this  world  and  the  next,  or  between  death  and 
the  resurrection ;  every  person  who  dies  being  said  to 
enter  into  AUlianakh.  The  commentators  on  this  paa- 
sage  expound  it  as  a  barrier,  or  invincible  obstacle,  cut- 
ting off  all  possibility  of  return  into  the  world,  after 
death." 

Pagt  123.  line  33  —"  Birds."  If  the  departed  person 
was  a  believer,  the  Muslims  soy  two  Angels  meet  his 
soul.  an<l  convey  it  to  Heaven,  that  its  place  there  may 
be  assigned,  according  to  its  merit  and  degree.  They 
distinguish  the  souls  of  the  Failliful  into  three  dosses; 
the  first  of  prophets,  whose  souLs  are  admitted  into  Par- 
adise immediately;  the  second  of  martyrs,  whose  spirits, 
according  to  a  tradition  of  Muhninmad,  rest  in  the  crops 
of  green  birds  which  eat  of  the  fruits  and  drink  of  the 
rivers  of  Paradise;  and  the  third  of  other  liclievcrs,  con- 
c«rulng  the  sUtc  of  whoao  souls  before  the  resurrection 
there  are  various  opinions.     Some  say  they  stay  near 


the  sepulchres,  with  liberty,  however,  of  going  wherever 
they  please;  which  they  confircj  from  Muhammad's 
manner  of  saluting  the  dead,  alluded  to  elsewhere. 

Page  131,  line  1.— The  "ten  holy  eves"  are  the  first 
ten  nights  of  the  sacred  month  of  Dhu'l  Hejjeh. 

Page  131,  line  7.—"  Iram"  was  the  name  of  the  pal- 
ace and  pleasure-garden  built  by  SheddSd,  son  of  Ad, 
in  the  desert  of  Aden.     The  story  is  related  on  another 


Page  131,  line  9.— The  Thamudites  of  the  Hadramaut 
having  killed  their  prophet,  were  utterly  destroyed  by 
tempests,  and  their  city  depopulated. 

Page  146,  line  11.—"  Al-Hudhud."  The  Arab  histori- 
ans. Sale  says,  tell  us  that  Solomon,  having  finished  the 
temple  of  Jerusalem,  went  in  pilgrimage  to  Mecca, 
where,  having  stayed  as  long  as  he  pleased,  he  pro- 
ceeded towards  Yaman;  and  leaving  Mecca  in  the 
morning,  he  arrived  by  noon  at  Sanaa,  and  being  ex- 
tremely delighted  with  the  country,  rested  there;  but 
wanting  water  to  make  the  ablution,  he  looked  among 
the  birds  for  the  lapwing,  called  by  the  Arabs  Al-Hud- 
hud. whose  business  it  was  to  find  it;  for  it  is  pretended 
she  was  sagacious  or  sharp-sighted  enough  to  discovei 
water  underground,  which  the  devils  used  to  draw,  af- 
ter she  had  marked  the  place  by  digging  with  her  bill: 
they  add,  that  this  bird  was  then  taking  a  tour  in  th« 
air,  whence,  seeing  one  of  her  companions  alighting, 
she  descended  also,  and  having  had  a  description  given 
her  by  the  other  of  the  city  of  Saba,  whence  she  was 
just  arrived,  they  both  went  together  to  take  a  view  of 
tlie  place,  and  returned  soon  after  Solomon  nad  made 
the  inquiry  which  occasioned  what  follows. 


NOTES.  901 

li  iii.iy  he  proper  to  mention  here  what  the  Eastern 
writers  f.Mc  of  the  manner  of  Solomon's  travelling. 
They  say  that  he  had  a  carpet  of  green  silk,  on  which 
bis  throne  was  placed,  being  of  a  prodigious  Icngtli  and 
breadth,  and  sufficient  for  all  his  forces  to  stand  on,  the 
men  placing  themselves  on  his  right  hand,  and  the  spir- 
its on  his  left;  and  that  when  all  were  in  onler,  the 
wind,  at  his  command,  took  up  the  carpet,  and  trans- 
portc<l  it,  with  all  that  were  upon  it,  wherever  he 
pleased ;  the  army  of  birds  at  the  same  time  flying  over 
their  head^,  and  forming  a  kind  of  canopy,  to  shade 
them  from  the  sun." 

Fagt  147,  Uiitji  17-20. — "The  sea-worm  and  the  ant." 
The  legend  is  that  Solomon  used  the  teredo  to  bore  his 
topaz,  and,  by  filling  the  winding  hole  of  the  ruby  with 
sugar  and  water,  tempted  an  ant  to  draw  a  silk  thread 
through  it. 

Pitffe  165.  line  28.  — "Monkerand  Naklr."  These  are 
the  two  Angels  who  visit  the  dead  immediately  after 
burial,  and  having  set  thcin  upright  in  the  grave,  ques- 
tion them  OS  to  their  faith  and  actions,  as  before  dc- 
acribcd. 

Page  165,  line  31.— "  AISirAt."  The  narrow  bridge 
which  all  must  cross  from  this  to  the  next  world,  "  finer 
than  a  hair  and  sharper  than  a  razor." 

"This  bridge."  it  is  written,  "is  beset  on  each  side 
with  brieni  and  hooked  thorns;  which  will,  however 
be  no  imprdinicnt  to  the  good,  for  they  shall  pass  with 
wonderful  ease  and  swiftness,  like  lightning  or  the  wind, 
Muhammad  and  his  Muslims  lending  the  way:  whereas 
the  wicked,  what  with  the  slippcriness  and  extreme 
narrowness  of  the  path,  the  entangling  of  the  thorns, 
and  the  extinction  of  the  light,  which  directed  the  for- 


203  KOTES^ 

mer  to  Paradise,  will  soon  miss  their  footing,  and  fall 
down  headlong  into  hell,  which  is  gaping  beneath 
them." 

"  Muhammad  seems  to  have  borrowed  this  from  the 
Magians,  who  teach  that  on  the  last  day  all  mankind 
will  be  obliged  to  pass  a  bridge  called  P(il  Chtuavad, 
that  is,  the  strait  bridge,  leading  directly  into  the  other 
world ;  on  the  midst  of  which  the  Angels  appointed  by 
God  will  stand,  who  will  require  of  every  one  a  strict 
account  of  his  actions.  The  Jews  speak  likewise  of  the 
bridge  of  hell,  which  they  say  is  no  broader  than  a 
thread." 

Page  168,  line  9.— "Three  darknesses."  The  body, 
the  womb,  and  the  amnion. 

Page  174,  U7ie  15. — This  is  the  origin  of  the  Ilallal,  a 
custom  of  Muslim-hunters  and  butchers,  who  pronounce 
the  formula  of  excuse  and  pity  before  slaying  any  ani- 
mal. 

Page  184,  Um  1.— "  Al-Aarfif."  The  partition  be- 
tween Heaven  and  Hell.  The  chapter  quoted  says, 
"And  betwixt  the  two  there  is  a  wall,  and  they  shall 
cry  out  to  the  companions  ot  Paradise,  '  Peace  be  upon 
you,'  but  they  cannot  enter  it,  although  they  so  desue." 


Renewed  booK^____- 


X-^3"l^-5' 


General  J-'^  ,;((. 


3"/7/ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA  UBRARY 


LARY  ^H 

1 


